With National Elections just weeks away, the Alliance For Change (AFC) has sounded a strong alarm over what it describes as serious deficiencies in Guyana’s electoral process. In a high-level meeting last week with representatives of the Carter Centre, the AFC laid out a range of unresolved concerns. From unanswered correspondence to systemic failures by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the party said threatens the credibility of the 2025 polls.
The Carter Centre, a respected international observer of Guyanese elections for decades, reaffirmed its continued presence in the country through the 2025 election cycle. While the AFC welcomed that commitment, the party made clear that its confidence in the process remains low.
During the meeting, the AFC delegation stressed that key reforms recommended by the Carter Centre following the controversial 2020 elections have been largely ignored. These recommendations, aimed at bolstering transparency, public trust, and institutional independence, have been largely ignored, the AFC said. Carter Centre officials reportedly acknowledged these concerns and pledged to raise them directly with GECOM.
Central to the AFC’s grievance is GECOM’s continued silence in the face of multiple formal inquiries. Party officials revealed that numerous letters and requests for clarification on election procedures—some dating as far back as June—have gone unanswered. The AFC accused GECOM of stonewalling engagement, leaving political parties and the public in the dark on key aspects of electoral readiness.
The party also reiterated its longstanding push for biometric voter identification at polling stations, a measure it argues is essential to protecting the integrity of the vote. While biometric safeguards enjoy wide public backing, the AFC noted that GECOM has not initiated any formal steps toward implementing the technology.
Another urgent concern is the bloated voters list, which the AFC says undermines public trust and leaves the system vulnerable to manipulation. According to the party, this issue is compounded by the government’s failure to release national census data, depriving stakeholders of the up-to-date demographic information necessary for fair electoral planning and representation.
In a sharply worded message, the AFC warned that the combination of an unclean electoral roll, institutional silence, and GECOM’s partisan structure has created an environment that is “neither free, fair, nor conducive to a credible contest.”
With the 2025 elections looming, the AFC is calling on both national stakeholders and international partners to take these concerns seriously. The Carter Centre’s continued engagement may provide some measure of oversight, but without urgent corrective action, the party warns, Guyana could be headed into yet another deeply contested election.
