Dr. Jeffrey Warns of Rising Authoritarianism Ahead of 2025 Elections

With General and Regional Elections now scheduled for September 1, 2025, prominent political analyst and former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government minister Dr. Henry Jeffrey has issued a stark warning about the state of democracy in Guyana, accusing the PPP of systematically eroding democratic norms to consolidate ethnic and political dominance.

In his latest Future Notes column, Dr. Jeffrey argued that for 25 of its 30 years in power, the PPP has used the machinery of the state to suppress minority rights—particularly those of Afro-Guyanese—while entrenching an oligarchic system rooted in ethnic politics. Citing assessments from Transparency International and the V-Democracy Index, he noted that Guyana is now classified as a nation “on the downward slope to dictatorship.”

“Serious political reforms are required at almost every level of governance,” Jeffrey wrote, “if the September 1 elections are to reverse the autocratic trajectory and Guyana is to take its place among democratic countries of the Caribbean and beyond.”

Amid these concerns, recent news that the British government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide technical support to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was described by Jeffrey as “most comforting.” The international partnership aims to bolster GECOM’s institutional capacity, improve election logistics, and enhance transparency through better public communication and stakeholder engagement.

But Jeffrey questioned the timing of President Irfaan Ali’s announcement of the election date, suggesting the decision may have been rushed to preempt meaningful international reforms. He noted that the announcement, made during the May 26 Independence Day address, came just days after former British High Commissioner Greg Quinn called for Guyanese political leaders to embrace power-sharing and reconciliation, referencing the Good Friday Agreement as a model.

“The possible linkage of these two events must have caused apoplexy among the oligarchs,” Jeffrey commented, referencing President Ali’s apparent verbal stumble when he mistakenly announced the election date as “1st December” before correcting it to September.

Jeffrey warned that the PPP’s move appears to be a strategic calculation based on a shifting international landscape, particularly the current ideological leanings of the United States and its diplomatic distance from Europe. He suggested the party is banking on these conditions to avoid significant external pressure or scrutiny.

The opposition has echoed many of Jeffrey’s concerns. Opposition-appointed GECOM commissioners have decried what they call a “unilateral” announcement of the election date, alleging that they were excluded from key decisions, and raising alarms over biased staffing, an inflated voters’ list, and non-compliance with legal requirements.

“If GECOM is not responsive to its constitutional mandate… the upcoming elections will simply be an unacceptable, illegitimate and undemocratic process,” said one opposition commissioner, as quoted in a May 28 article in Stabroek News.

Dr. Jeffrey argued that without fundamental reforms—including an independent election body, campaign finance accountability, judicial oversight, and respect for civil liberties—Guyana cannot be considered a liberal democracy. He cited political theorist Samuel P. Huntington, warning that elections alone do not guarantee good governance.

“Most of the above is foreign to Guyana,” Jeffrey concluded, referring to democratic norms such as judicial independence, a clear separation of powers, and inclusive participation.

In closing, Jeffrey warned that the September election appears designed not to advance democracy, but to suppress it—an attempt to sidestep international scrutiny and cling to power through a managed process.

“Let’s hope not,” he wrote, “but if it does, it constitutes the most important reason the PPP should be punished at the polls.”