The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) has renewed its call for a complete overhaul of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), arguing that the ongoing impasse is rooted not in personalities but in the flawed structure of the Commission itself.
In a detailed statement issued Wednesday, FGM said the current deadlock “is not primarily about personalities” but rather that “the Commission is politicised, and structured in a way that entrenches the two-party system.” According to the group, GECOM “was never designed to function as an impartial, professional institution serving all Guyanese.”
Background: A Temporary Body That Became Permanent
The present GECOM was established in 1991 following an agreement between the then People’s National Congress (PNC) government and the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to facilitate the 1992 General and Regional Elections. It was intended to be a temporary structure, not a permanent institution.
However, within recent years, the Commission has evolved into a politically divided body whose decisions are often shaped by partisan interests.
A Deepening Crisis
The current crisis within GECOM is multifaceted. Under the present chairperson, the body has been criticised for being more partisan than consensus-driven, with several decisions seen as favouring the governing PPP. These decisions have affected not only the agreed Work Plan but also the overall process and integrity of the elections.
Apart from the ongoing dispute between opposition-nominated commissioners and the GECOM Chair about their legitimacy and tenure, the politicians across the divide appear to be ignoring a key issue raised by the Opposition-nominated commissioners — that Sections 96 and 99 of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) have not been adhered to. This, they argue, remains a critical point in determining the transparency and integrity of the September 1 elections.
In the 13th Parliament, the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party holds 16 seats, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has 12, and the Forward Guyana Movement holds one in the 65-member National Assembly, reflecting the country’s shift from a two-party system to a more plural political landscape.
FGM: The Problem Is the Table Itself
FGM said that despite this new political reality, GECOM remains “locked into old divides,” undermining fairness and credibility. “The current GECOM, which was for all intents and purposes meant to be a temporary intervention, is designed to fail whenever political actors disagree, because its functioning depends on political consensus and not on professional independence,” the party stated.
“This most recent turmoil only confirms what we have been saying all along — that GECOM, as presently constituted, is incapable of guaranteeing free, fair, and credible elections,” FGM added. The movement also cited the Chairperson’s admission that GECOM is “not duly constituted” as evidence that “the body charged with protecting our democracy is itself operating outside the law.”
FGM said its position “has not been theoretical,” pointing out that it has taken these matters to court in an effort to clarify GECOM’s interpretation of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, including the rights of political parties and citizens to “fair representation and access to the ballot.”
“These actions are not partisan; they are principled efforts to restore legality and transparency to the electoral process,” the party said.
Rejecting calls for merely swapping commissioners, FGM declared, “Substituting one set of politically influenced commissioners who act as party representatives rather than impartial guardians of our votes for another set, does nothing to strengthen democracy. The problem is not the people at the table, the problem is the table itself.”
Call for Institutional Reform
FGM warned that no amount of infrastructure development can compensate for eroded trust in institutions. “If elections are not fair, then everything built on them — our laws, budgets, and leadership on the whole — rests on shaky ground,” the statement said.
The party urged that GECOM be transformed into a “professional, independent, and politically neutral body,” administered by “qualified professionals chosen for integrity, competence, and commitment to public service and to Guyana, not loyalty to any leader or party.”
Citing Jamaica’s Electoral Commission as “the regional Gold Standard,” FGM said Guyana deserves the same. “We can have nice things too, but we the Guyanese people must insist,” the statement read.
Concluding, FGM urged the next Parliament – of which it will be a part- to prioritise constitutional reform to “establish a genuinely independent GECOM, one insulated from party politics, operating transparently, and accountable only to the people of Guyana,” adding that it is time “to end this cycle of political capture and build institutions worthy of public trust.”
