In a scathing critique of the current state of Guyana’s electoral system, Roysdale Forde, Senior Counsel and Member of Parliament, has called on the Government and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to urgently implement biometric voter identification ahead of the 2025 General and Regional elections. Forde’s comments highlight what he describes as a growing crisis of electoral integrity that threatens the future of democracy in the country.
Forde, who has consistently written about the need for biometrics in elections, argued that the integration of biometric systems is no longer a luxury, but an absolute necessity to ensure free, fair, and credible elections. He pointed to the widespread public support for biometric technology, underscoring that both citizens and international observers have long advocated for the modernisation of the electoral process.
However, despite the mounting pressure, GECOM and the People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C) government have shown an obstinate resistance to incorporating biometrics, despite its proven success in countries around the world, including India and Ghana, which have already implemented biometric voter registration to ensure the integrity of their elections.
Forde criticised the Government’s reluctance to modernise, calling it a dangerous move that could undermine public confidence in the electoral system and lead to a manipulated outcome in the 2025 elections.
The refusal to adopt biometrics is not only backward, but also a direct threat to the credibility of our democracy, Forde noted, stressing the growing public distrust towards electoral processes in Guyana. He pointed out that in an era where biometric technology is widely used to secure everything from banking to travel, it was unfathomable that the PPP/C government and GECOM continue to ignore calls for its use in elections.
The Shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs pointed to the troubling state of the voter list, which is expected to exceed 700,000 names for the upcoming elections—an absurd number given that Guyana’s total population is only around 800,000. According to Forde, many of the individuals on the list have been living abroad for decades, yet they remain eligible to vote. Without biometric checks, this bloated voter list presents a significant risk of electoral fraud, Forde warned.
“This voter list is a ticking time bomb of disenfranchisement, and without biometrics safeguards, it is simply an open invitation for manipulation,” Forde said. “In a country with such a complex demographic makeup, where ethnic and political tensions run high, the risk of a fraudulent or bloated voter list cannot be overstated.”
Forde also criticised GECOM for dismissing biometrics as impractical or too costly. He firmly rejected these claims, arguing that the technology is well within the country’s capacity to implement. The reluctance to adopt biometric technology, he argued, raises suspicions that those in power may be intentionally avoiding measures that would secure the integrity of the election.
The Senior Counsel also touched on the fact that no new census data has been released since 2012, further complicating the credibility of the voter list. The 2012 census showed a population of around 750,000, but with no updated demographic data, it is unclear how many of those on the voter list are actually eligible voters living in Guyana.
The situation, according to Forde, is further exacerbated by the failure of some sectors of society, including the private sector and certain civil society organisations, to push back against the Government’s refusal to modernise the electoral system. He warned that this reluctance to embrace biometrics could erode public trust in the entire political system, with far-reaching consequences for Guyana’s economic future.
Public mistrust in the electoral system will have direct consequences for business confidence and economic development, Forde explained. He further advised that a lack of trust undermines stability, discourages investment, and threatens the growth of the private sector.
As Guyana moves closer to the 2025 elections, Forde has called on all sectors of society—civic groups, the private sector, and the general public—to unite in demanding the immediate introduction of biometrics into the electoral process. He emphasised that only through this measure could the country safeguard its democracy and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and credible.
“One thing is clear. Business as usual is now grossly inadequate,” Forde asserted. He has also called on Guyanese to ensure must electoral system is modernised for the future of country’s democracy, noting that the time to act is now.
