As Guyana votes today in General and Regional Elections, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has issued a stark warning about the country’s electoral readiness, raising alarm over unresolved flaws that plagued the 2020 elections. Despite repeated calls from civil society, political stakeholders, and international partners, little progress has been made on key reforms.
GTUC asserts that the electoral process remains vulnerable to systemic failures—ranging from a bloated voters list and lack of biometric safeguards to partisan media control and intimidation of opposition figures. With confidence in the electoral system waning, the GTUC is urging international observer missions to go beyond passive monitoring and demand clear benchmarks for transparency, fairness, and accountability.
GTUC last week met with the Observer Mission from CARICOM, Commonwealth and Organisation of American States(OAS) and outlined that in light of the serious findings from 2020 Elections by the various observer mission the GTUC has acted proactively and in the national interest to promote democratic integrity.
Our interventions include:
- National Engagement
GTUC joined the public conversation through media engagements and grassroots mobilisation across our affiliated bodies. - Formal Engagement with GECOM (March 12, 2025)
GTUC met with GECOM Chair Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh and CEO Vishnu Persaud, urging immediate reform and adoption of biometrics and re-registration. - Bipartisan Dialogue with Opposition Parties
GTUC held formal consultations with the Alliance For Change (AFC), Working People’s Alliance (WPA), and People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR/APNU) in February and March 2025. Despite similar outreach, the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) did not respond to our requests. - Communication with GECOM Commissioners
Letters were sent to both Government- and Opposition-appointed Commissioners. Only the Opposition Commissioners responded and engaged GTUC. - International Outreach
In March 2025, GTUC submitted a memorandum to the International Observer Missions calling for urgent support of electoral reforms—particularly the creation of a clean voters list, introduction of biometric verification, and protection against voter intimidation. - CARICOM Engagement
In January 2025, GTUC formally wrote to CARICOM seeking dialogue on electoral integrity. While an acknowledgement was received, the matter remains pending. In that correspondence, we informed of having insider information—supported by global partners—indicating clear patterns of electoral manipulation orchestrated by the ruling PPP/C administration to skew the 2025 Elections outcome in its favour.
GTUC’s Registered Concerns Ahead of the 2025 Elections
Despite repeated calls for reform, little to no progress has been made. With elections imminent, GTUC remains deeply concerned that the 2025 electoral process is vulnerable to the same failures documented in 2020. These include:
- A padded voters list that currently represents approximately 90% of Guyana’s population, a statistical impossibility. (See Appendix)
- No implementation of biometric technology, despite broad local and international consensus on its necessity.
- Non-compliance with election protocols, as demonstrated during the August 22 Disciplined Services vote. (See Appendix)
- Widespread voter intimidation, especially against opposition supporters, and specific targeting of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed. Reports indicate that state-employed operatives have disrupted WIN’s outreach in PPP-dominated strongholds.
- Monopolisation of state-owned media by the PPP, denying other parties meaningful access to the country’s widest-reaching communication platform. This suppression of diverse viewpoints threatens democratic discourse and the electorate’s ability to make informed choices.
- Abuse of state resources for campaign activities.
- Absence of legislative reform, despite calls from local actors and international bodies alike.
- No investigation into the missing electoral documents flagged in 2020 Elections.
- Lack of transparency in ballot handling, where even a single manipulated vote can swing outcomes in Guyana’s proportional representation system.
Demographics and Data
According to the 2012 Census (Bureau of Statistics):
- Population: 746,955
- Age 0–14: ~231,000 (30.9%)
- Under 20 years: 41.3%
To date, the 2022 census results remain unreleased, further complicating transparency and accuracy in electoral planning.
Conclusion and Appeal
GTUC urges your Mission not only to listen, but to act decisively. A failure to implement the reforms outlined by CARICOM and demanded by civil society places our democracy at serious risk. The erosion of electoral integrity is no longer speculative—it is unfolding in real time.
We call on Observer Missions to clearly state:
- What benchmarks will be used to determine whether the elections are free, fair, and credible?
- What safeguards exist to ensure the outcome truly reflects the will of the people?
Guyana stands at a crossroads. The world must stand with us to ensure the path ahead is democratic, just, and free from fear.
