The political climate ahead of September 1, General and Regional Elections continues to intensify, with Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton warning that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will be met with “bad behavior” if the elections are rigged.
Norton’s remarks, reported by Demerara Waves on August 16, came just weeks after he addressed the issue directly at an Emancipation event in Buxton on July 31.
At that gathering, he insisted there would be zero tolerance of any attempt to rig next month’s polls, dismissing the PPP/C’s ambitions of securing a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
At the Buxton event, Norton told supporters that when he met with the European Union Election Observer Mission earlier that day, he made the opposition’s stance clear: “If the PPP believes they would rig these elections, they won’t like the outcome. We will not allow them to rig the elections.”
He also questioned the credibility of recently appointed supernumerary returning officers under the amended Representation of the People Act. GECOM has assigned these officers to sub-districts in District Three (West Demerara–Essequibo Islands), District Four (Demerara–Mahaica), and District Six (East Berbice–Corentyne).
Norton contended that these officers were partisan and could be used to manipulate results, warning the PPP: “Let better sense prevail because we will not condone the rigging of the 2025 elections. Whatever happen after you rig, it will be your responsibility because we have already decided we had enough of your garbage.”
Political commentator and WPA executive Dr. David Hinds has also sounded the alarm, warning that there would be “no peace in the valley” if election manipulation occurs, declaring that the opposition is “ready to do battle.”
At the center of concerns is GECOM’s voters’ list. As of June 15, 2025, the Guyana Elections Commission confirmed that its revised list contains 757,715 registered electors Critics argue this figure is alarmingly high in a country whose population is estimated at between 800,000 and 850,000. The Alliance For Change (AFC) called the number “phenomenal,” citing that the nation’s still-unpublished census compounds the problem.
A wide cross-section of society, including the trade union and political opposition have repeatedly raised alarms about GECOM’s refusal to implement biometric safeguards and its decision to permit cellphones in polling stations. Persons argue that these loopholes undermine the secrecy of the ballot, creating opportunities for voters to photograph and sell their votes, thereby compromising electoral integrity.
Analyst GHK Lall, responding to the escalating rhetoric, noted that the warnings have now progressed from “no peace” to “battle” to Norton’s threat of “bad behavior.” He said this reflects deep opposition distrust of the electoral process, particularly regarding the credibility of the voters’ list.
According to Lall, the PPP is fully aware it does not command an automatic electoral majority and has been grappling with census results that show minimal differences between the two major ethnic voting blocs. He alleged that the PPP/C has turned instead to alternative sources of support, including Commonwealth citizens, overseas-based Guyanese, and Venezuelan migrants — some allegedly facilitated by the Maduro administration.
He pointed out that GECOM’s voters’ roll represents a percentage of the population higher than that of countries such as India and China, sparking concerns that it includes illegitimate, deceased, or even fictitious names.
The opposition has consistently pushed for biometrics and a fresh voters’ list, but both demands were rejected. Lall argued that this has left Norton and his party feeling sidelined, noting that since the disputed 2020 elections, GECOM’s rulings have rarely gone in their favour.
While Lall questioned whether Norton has the “manpower, horsepower, and willpower” to back up his threat, he warned that the contest is increasingly about more than politics, with Guyana’s oil wealth looming in the background.
“Whichever way this unfolds, Guyana’s 2025 elections give every indication of being unforgettable,” Lall concluded.
