Observers, including former A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) minister Jaipaul Sharma, are pointing to a growing list of irregularities and what some are now describing as evidence of systemic incompetence or worse, electoral misconduct. One striking example involves a Statement of Poll (SoP) from Region 10 — Polling Division 022111, Paradise Ball Field, Ballot Box EC 00066. While GECOM’s data shows that 28 valid votes were cast, the SoP published on their website fails to show how these votes were distributed among the six political parties contesting the elections:
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)
Alliance for Change (AFC)
Assembly of Liberty and Prosperity (ALP)
Forward Guyana Movement (FGM)
People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)
We Invest in Nationhood (WIN)
Former minister Sharma, in a detailed social media post, highlighted that the SoP was signed by the Presiding Officer and polling agents — yet the critical section for recording how the votes were allocated to each party was completely left blank. He asked:
“How did the Returning Officer and GECOM determine which of the six (6) political parties the 28 votes were cast for? And would GECOM issue a Press Release with how the 28 votes was actually allocated to the six (6) political parties?”
Sharma also posed a series of damning questions about the reliability of GECOM’s systems and oversight mechanisms. Among them:
Who uploaded the SoPs to GECOM’s website?
Were blank or incomplete SoPs reviewed for authenticity?
How were fake SoPs previously circulating on social media assessed and handled?
Why was the public not informed earlier about these critical lapses?
And most importantly: Where are the blank SoPs now, and who is being held accountable?
In Guyana’s proportional representation electoral system, every vote counts. Votes not only determine parliamentary seat allocation, but also play a decisive role in selecting the presidency and in deciding regional governance. Given the direct correlation between vote count and political power, it is imperative that GECOM “gets it right” to ensure the true will of the people is reflected.
But with each new error and unexplained discrepancy, public trust continues to erode. Where GECOM continues to demonstrate grave ineptitude, one is left to wonder: what is the true count — and are the election results we were given an accurate reflection of the people’s vote at all?
These irregularities go far beyond simple clerical errors; they cement growing concerns that the 2025 General and Regional Elections may not have been free and fair. In any democratic society, elections must not only be fair but be seen to be fair — and right now, GECOM is failing that fundamental test.
