The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not convened a meeting for nearly one year, a lapse Opposition-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander says places the body in breach of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) and raises serious constitutional concerns.
Alexander, in a letter to the editor, said the Commission last met on September 7, 2025, where its legal responsibilities were only “partially” discharged following the General and Regional Elections. He stressed that key statutory steps—particularly those governing the declaration of election results—were never completed.
January Warning: Institutional Breakdown
Alexander had earlier raised broader concerns about governance and constitutional compliance, warning:
“Given the non-adherence to the provisions of the Constitution by the Government of Guyana and state agencies, the Government may well be defined as a rogue government and the State as one that is failing.”
He pointed to GECOM as a central example, stating that since September 7, 2025 the Commission has been “deliberately comatose through the Chairperson,” while the administration has, “with her fiat… usurped the authority of the Commission.”
Central to his concerns is what he described as a departure from the legal framework governing the declaration of election results. He argued that results were gazetted without compliance with mandatory statutory procedures, noting that there were no prior public declarations and, in the case of the regional elections, no reports presented to the Commission.
Citing the law, Alexander pointed to Section 96(2) of the Representation of the People Act, which provides that:
“The Chief Election Officer shall prepare a report manually and in electronic form… which shall be the basis for the Commission to declare and publish the election results under Section 99.”
He further noted that Section 99 requires:
“the Commission shall publicly declare the results of the election and shall cause to be published in the Gazette a notification thereof,”
steps he maintains were not followed.
Grounds for Removal
Alexander maintained that despite ongoing political contention over the composition of the Commission, the current members remain lawfully appointed and the status quo ante applies.
He warned that the Chairperson’s actions may meet the constitutional threshold for removal under Article 225 on the grounds of “misbehaviour,” arguing that her conduct amounts to both impeding the functioning of the Commission and usurping its authority.
GECOM, constitutionally mandated to oversee elections and ensure readiness for national and local polls, now faces mounting scrutiny as its prolonged inactivity raises questions about compliance with the law and public confidence in the electoral system. There has been no immediate response from the Chairperson to the allegations.
