With General and Regional Elections still months away, Guyana’s political and electoral machinery is already under heavy strain, as deep divisions and delays have sparked walkouts at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and raised fears of a volatile election season ahead.
In a recent GECOM session, Opposition-nominated commissioners staged a swift walkout, citing the absence of critical agenda items—issues they say go to the heart of electoral credibility, including dual citizenship, overseas voting, and voter eligibility. Commissioner Desmond Trotman, representing the Opposition, declared his breaking point. “I am done with waiting,” he said, pointing to what he views as deliberate stalling.
The chair of GECOM, Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh, attributed the omissions to pending input from the Attorney General’s chambers. But critics, including outspoken columnist GHK Lall, are unconvinced. Lall questioned whether the omissions were strategic, suggesting the chair may be “too cute” with the agenda and warning that the Attorney General may be prioritising political maneuvering over timely electoral readiness.
“This is only the runup to national elections,” wrote Lall. “Whoever doesn’t know of the high-stakes poker game that is in motion, had better get with the programme.”
The underlying concern is that unresolved procedural gaps, coupled with partisan tension within GECOM, could cripple preparations for what is already expected to be a fiercely contested vote and process that involved a heavily bloated list and the absence of any safeguard to ensure free, fair and credible elections. With no resolution, GECOM risks losing its quorum if opposition commissioners, like Trotman, refuse to return.
“If those agenda items are left out again, then it’s goodbye to a quorum,” warned Lall, who endorsed Trotman’s decision to walk out “on sheer principle.”
These developments come amid broader anxiety about governance and transparency in Guyana’s oil-fueled political landscape. Lall points to the controversial Oil Spill Law, now defended by the Attorney General, as a symbol of the government’s growing power—and slipperiness.
“A government that has all the numbers going for it, but the most scurrilous of reputations, will be resourceful, with a bagful of slipperiness,” Lall wrote. “Whoever saw GECOM used as toy and ploy… is not seeing jumbie. They are dealing in reality.”
He warns that both Government and Opposition must be alert. While the ruling party may manipulate institutional processes, the opposition, with “a lot of ground to cover,” must remain nimble or risk being politically ambushed.
“Commissioner Desmond Trotman showed that he can get out of the blocks as need be, and in a hurry,” wrote Lall, calling him “a soldier with whom a man could fight a war.”
As the countdown to the 2025 elections continues, the atmosphere is thick with mistrust. While some Guyanese believe electoral tensions are confined to the campaign season, Lall argues otherwise.
“Masks coming off, gloves coming off. These were seething and simmering before elections. Guyanese fool themselves that elections generate the worst. Oil did that.”
With institutional dysfunction brewing and partisan warfare intensifying, Lall concludes grimly: “By my calculation, it is a bad road… Matters will get worse before there’s some bettering.”
International observers, he suggests, may soon have to step in, as Guyana’s fragile democracy edges closer to crisis.
