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By Mark DaCosta- the Alliance for Change (AFC) has intensified its call for urgent reforms to Guyana’s electoral system, while also drawing attention to the severe mental health crisis gripping the nation. In a press conference on August 2, 2024, the party outlined several pressing concerns and proposed a series of measures aimed at securing the integrity of the 2025 elections and addressing the widespread mental health challenges across the country.
At the forefront of the AFC’s concerns is the current state of the voters’ list, which the party argues is deeply flawed. According to the Party’s Executive Member, Beverley Alert, the list, which contains over 700,000 names, vastly exceeds the country’s population and is riddled with discrepancies that could undermine the credibility of future elections. Alert pointed out that the bloated voters’ list played a significant role in the controversies that surrounded the 2020 elections, contributing to a protracted electoral stand-off.
“The list is simply not reflective of our population,” Alert stressed, underscoring the need for GECOM to provide a comprehensive update on the measures being taken to address these discrepancies. The MP highlighted verified instances where votes were cast in the names of deceased persons and where non-residents were recorded as having voted, all of which point to significant vulnerabilities in the current system.
The AFC is advocating for the adoption of biometric registration and electronic voting systems to enhance the accuracy and security of the electoral process.
Biometric registration would involve collecting and integrating biometric data, such as fingerprints, into the electoral database, thereby reducing the risk of duplicate registrations and impersonation. Electronic voting, meanwhile, would streamline the voting process and further safeguard against fraud.
Alert called on the Chairperson of GECOM, ret’d Justice Claudette Singh, to engage in transparent dialogue with political parties, civil society, and the public about these proposed changes. “We need to know what steps are being taken to clean up the list and ensure that the 2025 elections are free, fair, and credible,” she urged.
The AFC also stressed the importance of continuous voter education, regular audits of the voters’ list, and the introduction of a robust legal framework to allow for the timely removal of outdated entries.
Guyana’s electoral register has been condemned by both local and international observers at previous elections. Notably, the Caribbean Community Observers Mission in its 2024 Report pointed out that:
“As a minimum condition of electoral reform, the Team recommends the urgent need for the total re-registration of all voters in Guyana. It is clear that given the state of the voter registration of the country that Guyana was not adequately prepared for the 2020 poll. Yet circumstances beyond the control of the Commission precluded this preparedness. It therefore behooves the Commission to create a new voter registry especially given the suspicion that the 2020 register was bloated, a suspicion which is not without merit.”
GECOM continues to resist demands to ensure the integrity of Guyana’s electoral processes and outcomes.
