President Irfaan Ali on Sunday night announced that General and Regional Elections will be held on September 1, 2025. Speaking at the 59th Independence Flag Raising Ceremony in Berbice, he also signaled that a proclamation to dissolve Parliament will be issued soon, as required by law, three months in advance.
Ali, who will seek a second and final term under Guyana’s Constitution, is set to lead the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) into a campaign already mired in controversy over the integrity of the electoral process.
Analysts had predicted early elections, given the government’s aggressive spending. Despite already approving a record-breaking $1.38 trillion (US$6.6 billion) budget in February, the largest in the nation’s history, the PPP/C government returned to Parliament last week to push through an additional $57.5 billion in supplemental spending.
This surge in public expenditure, just months ahead of the elections, has fueled accusations that the administration is using state resources to buy votes. Critics point to widespread allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse across numerous projects, including inflated contracts, questionable sole-sourcing practices, and a lack of transparency in how funds are disbursed. Opposition parties and civil society groups have warned that this unchecked spending is less about development and more about political entrenchment.
The March 2020 General and Regional Elections were marred by significant irregularities, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the outcomes. At the same time, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has resisted repeated calls to clean the voters list, which is reportedly riddled with the names of deceased persons and emigrants. This fact give rise to growing concern that GECOM could deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2025 without addressing the Voters Roll.
The electoral roll remains bloated with nearly 738,484 names, almost 89% of the country’s estimated population of 826,353, based on World Health Organisation data. This is a statistical impossibility, given the significant percentage of the population under 18. Meanwhile, the government has refused to release the results of the 2022 National Census. Opposition-nominated GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander has warned that the list facilitates multiple voting and impersonation — claims dismissed by government-aligned commissioners, who insist there are sufficient safeguards.
Concerns are further heightened by the presence of approximately 100,000 Venezuelan migrants in Guyana, and allegations that Freedom House — allegedly aligned with the PPP/C — is helping distribute national ID cards to some non-citizens. Authorities have neither confirmed nor denied these claims.
The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has flagged suspicious spikes in voter registration in District #4, particularly at the Ogle Sugar Estate. An audit of the Preliminary List of Electors revealed that registered voters in polling division #414115 jumped from 9 in 2020 to 119 in 2025. Of these, 110 are male foreign nationals registered under a single address — Lot 5A Ogle — a barrack-style facility typically used by short-term workers. Their ID numbers appear in sequential blocks, raising suspicions of a coordinated registration effort.
GTUC officials warn that the situation may be part of a broader scheme to manipulate the upcoming elections in favor of the PPP/C. Yet despite mounting evidence of irregularities, both GECOM and the government continue to press ahead.
The countdown to the September 1 election has begun, but Guyana’s democratic credibility is already under serious strain. The main opposition — the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) — remain bogged down in internal negotiations over leadership, coalition terms, and candidate selection, leaving their base uncertain and disillusioned.
In contrast, the ruling PPP/C, with the support of what critics call a compliant GECOM, is moving full speed ahead while ignoring deep-rooted concerns about the voters list. With allegations of fraudulent registrations, inflated rolls, and state-enabled electoral manipulation growing louder, many observers now warn the outcome may be predetermined.
The stakes in 2025 go far beyond which party wins. At risk is the public’s faith in the integrity of Guyana’s electoral system — and with it, growing fear among the population of continued economic marginalisation, rising poverty, and worsening malnutrition. This, in a country ranked among the most self-sufficient in food production and touted as one of the world’s fastest-growing and resource-rich economies, underscores the widening gap between national wealth and the lived reality of ordinary citizens.
