With General and Regional Elections scheduled for September 1, the Government on Monday used its majority in the National Assembly to pass the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2025, introducing provisions for “Deputy Supernumerary Returning Officers” primarily in electoral sub-districts across Regions 3, 4, and 6.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall S.C, defending the Bill, said the amendment aims to further strengthen Guyana’s electoral framework and introduce added safeguards against electoral fraud. He explained that the 2022 revision of the Representation of the People Act inadvertently omitted the post of Deputy Supernumerary Officer, an oversight that the new bill seeks to correct.
“In drafting the 2022 amendments, we missed the inclusion of a deputy for the supernumerary officer. I had hoped logic would allow for flexibility in interpretation, but this can’t be left to assumption,” Nandlall told the Assembly.
Under the reformed law, the process of tabulating Statements of Poll (SOPs) will be decentralized and conducted at the sub-district level. Region 4 will see this executed across four zones: East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara, North Georgetown, and South Georgetown.
According to Nandlall, the Supernumerary Officers and their newly introduced deputies will oversee tabulation in these areas. “That dramatic episode we all witnessed on March 3 at Ashmin’s building in 2020 will not be repeated,” he said, referring to the controversial SOP tabulation that marred the last election. “These changes are designed to avoid the kind of electoral misconduct we saw then.”
Nandlall also informed the House that the government had decided to remove Clause 3 from the bill, which proposed changes to Section 33(C)(1) of the Principal Act.
Minister of Local Government Sonia Parag supported the bill, calling the amendment “simple” and overdue. She said it reflects the real structure of electoral operations in Guyana and promotes quicker and more transparent results. “We should not again have to wait five months for the results of an election,” Parag said.
Shadow Attorney General Roysdale Forde S.C welcomed the removal of Clause 3 but criticised the government for not doing more to ensure electoral integrity. “This administration keeps declaring its commitment to a fair electoral system, yet it brings no real legislation to guarantee it,” Forde argued.
Clause 3 of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2025 in Guyana pertains to the removal of a proposed amendment to Section 33(C)(1) of the Representation of the People Act. This section originally aimed to grant the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) discretionary power to determine voter eligibility and registration, potentially allowing disqualified individuals to remain on the voter list.
Forde warned that the deleted clause would have handed excessive power to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), particularly the Chief Election Officer and the Commissioner of Registration, potentially allowing manipulation of the voters’ list. “This is just one example of how the Government is attempting to deny Guyanese a free and fair vote,” Forde said.
He also chastised the administration for failing to act on post-2020 recommendations from both regional and international observer missions, such as those from CARICOM and the Organisation of American States, particularly regarding the need to revise the voters’ list.
In its assessment of the 2020 elections, the OAS highlighted that the Official List of Electors contained 660,998 names, a number that is relatively high compared to the estimated population of approximately 785,000. The OAS noted that this inflated list included deceased individuals and persons who no longer reside in Guyana, raising questions about the accuracy and credibility of the voter roll.
The OAS recommended a comprehensive reform of the voter registration system, including the implementation of a House-to-House Registration exercise at the earliest opportunity after elections and periodically thereafter. This approach aims to ensure the accuracy of the voter list by identifying and removing ineligible voters
A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) parliamentarian Sherod Duncan echoed Forde’s concerns, accusing the government of taking a “piecemeal and politically motivated approach” to electoral reform. He pointed to previous controversies around boundary changes, residency requirements, and amendments to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act.
“All of these legislative moves are aimed at entrenching the PPP in power,” Duncan argued, alleging that the ruling party has ignored GECOM’s authority and imposed changes that serve its own political interests.
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government used its one-seat parliamentary majority, along with the joinder party, to pass the Bill. This Bil now moved to President Irfaan Ali’s desk for assent and will play a key role in how the September 1 elections are administered at the sub-district level.
