The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced that the official national results of the 2025 General and Regional Elections are expected to be declared by the morning of Wednesday, September 4, once all district-level declarations are completed by the evening of Tuesday, September 3.
Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud confirmed the timeline during GECOM’s final press briefing before polls opened. He noted that once the district declarations are received by early September 4, the commission would move quickly to compile and declare the national results.
To support the electoral process, 2,790 polling stations have been established across the country’s 10 administrative regions, serving 757,690 registered voters, a voters roll that is statistically impossible given the population is about 780,000. GECOM has recruited and trained 11,718 polling day staff, while the Guyana Police Force will deploy 8,700 officers to maintain order throughout the day. Monitoring the process will be approximately 500 local and 200 international observers, ensuring transparency.
GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, also released the breakdown of eligible voters per region:
Region 1: 24,453
Region 2: 42,596
Region 3: 116,876
Region 4: 323,436
Region 5: 50,796
Region 6: 111,554
Region 7: 17,846
Region 8: 9,192
Region 9: 22,481
Region 10: 38,460
In addition, 27,879 first-time voters have been identified, with the highest number (9,580) in Region 4.
Ballot Misplacement and Correction Protocols
GECOM also addressed the issue of two ballots from the Disciplined Services votes—one intended for Region 5 and another for Region 10—that were mistakenly included in Region 4’s count.
A directive has been sent to polling stations instructing presiding officers to identify and report these ballots, which are distinguishable by incorrect region markings and unique color coding. Once found, the ballots will be retrieved, documented via an amendment to Form 17E, and swiftly transported to the appropriate region for inclusion in the final count.
This process, approved by the Commission, aims to safeguard every valid vote and preserve the integrity of district-level tallies.
Preparedness and Cell Phone Policy
On the issue of cell phones in polling stations, Persaud reminded the public that while no law outright bans phones, GECOM prohibits their use to photograph ballots. Any such incidents will be treated as violations and forwarded to the police for possible prosecution. This directive was violated on August 22, when the Disciplined Services and today with the general population voting.
GECOM reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, clarifying that media workers are free to operate outside the 200-yard perimeter of polling stations throughout the day.
As Guyana votes today, all eyes are on GECOM to ensure a smooth, credible, and inclusive electoral process—culminating in the timely declaration of results by September 4.
