The Vigilant Political Action Committee (VPAC), headed by social activist Dorwain Bess, has entered the growing debate over opposition representation on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), arguing that the electoral body’s composition should reflect Guyana’s dramatically altered parliamentary landscape following the 2025 General and Regional Elections.
In a social media statement, VPAC addressed the ongoing disagreement between Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and Aubrey Norton, Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and Chairman of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), over the future of opposition representation on GECOM.
The issue emerged after the September 2025 elections reshaped the opposition benches in Parliament. Mohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) secured 16 seats, making it the largest opposition bloc, while APNU secured 12 seats and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), led by Amanza Walton-Desir, secured one seat. Mohamed was subsequently elected Leader of the Opposition.
VPAC said both Mohamed and Norton are entitled to advance their respective positions.
“We believe that while Mr. Norton is entitled to defend his position and the interests of his party, Mr. Mohamed is equally entitled to assert what he considers to be the constitutional implications of Guyana’s new parliamentary reality,” the organisation stated.
At the centre of the dispute is the future of opposition representation on GECOM, where the current opposition-nominated commissioners are Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman. The three commissioners were appointed at a time when APNU, led by the PNCR as its largest constituent party, was the dominant opposition force in Parliament.
Under Guyana’s constitutional framework, GECOM comprises a Chairperson and six commissioners, three nominated by the government and three by the opposition.
VPAC acknowledged that the Constitution does not provide for the automatic removal or replacement of opposition-appointed commissioners following a change in parliamentary representation.
“We recognise that the Constitution does not expressly provide that a change in parliamentary composition automatically vacates the offices of opposition-appointed commissioners,” the group said.
However, it argued that the broader purpose of opposition representation should not be ignored.
“At the same time, the constitutional purpose behind opposition representation on GECOM is to ensure that the parliamentary opposition enjoys meaningful representation,” the statement noted.
The organisation said Guyana has entered uncharted political territory.
“For the first time in Guyana’s history, the traditional opposition is no longer the largest opposition bloc in Parliament. Whether one agrees with Mr. Mohamed or not, he now leads the largest opposition grouping and occupies the constitutional Office of Leader of the Opposition,” VPAC stated.
The debate has also drawn in Walton-Desir, who has proposed a compromise formula under which the Opposition Leader would retain one of the existing commissioners, while the other two would serve as advisers. She has also suggested that the opportunity be used to appoint Nigel London, the FGM’s prime ministerial candidate, as one of the opposition commissioners.
Walton-Desir has raised concerns about perceived ‘conflict of interest’ involving three individuals reportedly proposed by Mohamed as potential commissioners—Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde and attorneys-at-law Siand Dhurjon and Damien DaSilva—on the basis that they currently represent Mohamed in ongoing court proceedings.
However, that argument has been dismissed by a number of legal and political commentators, who have noted that lawyers routinely represent political figures and parties while simultaneously serving in public or constitutional roles. They argue that legal representation alone does not constitute a conflict of interest and does not automatically disqualify an individual from appointment to a constitutional body.
VPAC pointed to the emergence of new political actors, including Walton-Desir and the Forward Guyana Movement, as evidence that Guyana’s political environment has fundamentally changed.
“The emergence of other opposition voices, including those represented by Amanza Walton-Desir and the Forward Guyana Movement coalition, further illustrates that Guyana’s political landscape has fundamentally changed,” the organisation said.
Walton-Desir has indicated that she is scheduled to meet with Mohamed on June 23 as discussions continue over opposition cooperation and representation on national issues.
According to VPAC, institutions such as GECOM cannot remain detached from the political realities produced by the electorate.
“Any objective observer would reasonably conclude that institutions such as GECOM that are designed to reflect opposition representation must also reflect the new dispensation,” the group stated.
The issue comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns about electoral governance and public confidence in Guyana’s democratic institutions. GECOM has been at the center of political controversy for years, particularly following the protracted 2020 elections and subsequent debates over electoral reforms and voter registration.
While VPAC stopped short of endorsing a specific solution, it said any eventual outcome must enjoy broad public confidence.
“VPAC maintains that whatever legal, political or judicial process ultimately resolves this issue, the eventual composition of GECOM must command broad public confidence and reflect the democratic will of the people as expressed through the country’s new parliamentary configuration.”
The statement adds another voice to an increasingly consequential national debate over whether Guyana’s constitutional institutions should evolve to reflect the new balance of political representation created by the 2025 elections or remain anchored in arrangements established under a previous parliamentary order.
