As Guyana enters the new year, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has issued a scathing critique of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for its ongoing failure to address major issues that threaten the integrity of the upcoming general and regional elections. At a press conference Monday, the WPA warned that the country is heading into dangerous territory with barely months remaining before elections are due, and the political opposition has already highlighted numerous barriers to a free and fair electoral process.
The irregularities revealed in the 2020 General and Regional Elections highlighted the grave challenges faced in Guyana elections and the importance of having these address. Some of these are bloated Voters List which observers missions have condemned and recommended it be fixed, and the irregularities unearthed during the Recount Exercise.
For the WPA, the issues surrounding the voters’ list, the lack of implementation of biometric systems, and the blatant partiality of GECOM’s chairperson retired Justice Claudette Singh and staff are not minor concerns—they are critical to the legitimacy of the upcoming elections. The WPA warned that the integrity of the elections must not only be unquestioned but must be demonstrably free and fair, as it blasted GECOM for continuous feet drag its feet in addressing the fundamental flaws that are eroding confidence in the electoral process.”
The WPA argues that with just a few months to go before the elections, it is deeply concerning that these unresolved issues are still hanging in the balance.
The Party warn that the country cannot afford to go into an election with such doubts surrounding the electoral process. “We cannot have a situation where half of the electorate is dissatisfied with the rules. This is a major risk in an already deeply divided country like ours,” the WPA sadded.
The WPA’s concern is further heightened by the ethnic tensions and political divide that have worsened since Guyana’s rise as an oil state. The WPA claims that the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its operatives at GECOM are not grasping the full implications of this new reality. “The combination of ethnic division and oil wealth has only exacerbated the situation. The PPP, along with its hand-picked officials at GECOM, appear completely oblivious to the inevitable consequences of such neglect in an election year,” the party warned.
This environment, the WPA fears, could make the upcoming 2025 elections the most ethno-politically divisive since the 1961 elections, a dangerous forecast that cannot be ignored.
The party noted that across the world, where ethnicity and oil wealth intersect, the results have been catastrophic. “Ethnicity, oil wealth, and winner-take-all elections create a volatile cocktail. The PPP and GECOM are recklessly ignoring this reality,” the WPA emphasised.
The WPA, a longstanding advocate for peaceful, fair, and democratic elections, made it clear that it cannot and will not condone a flawed electoral process. “The lessons of 2020 have been completely ignored. The electoral malpractice we witnessed during those elections didn’t just happen on election day—it began long before and continued afterward,” the WPA lamented. “GECOM, which is effectively an extension of the PPP, has failed to implement any substantial reforms to prevent a repeat of the disastrous errors of 2020.”
As the 2025 elections loom, the WPA is grappling with a critical decision—whether to participate in what they consider an inherently flawed electoral process. While the party refrained from stating its final position, they made it clear that it would continue advocating for a fair and transparent process. “We don’t want to preempt that decision right now, but we will continue to prepare for elections while pushing for changes to make the process truly free and fair,” the WPA concluded.
In the midst of all this, the WPA’s call to action is clear: elections with flawed rules are unacceptable and must be resisted at all costs. “We urge the opposition, and the people of Guyana, to stand firm against these abuses. If we let this go unchecked, we risk repeating the mistakes of the past, and the future of this nation will be forever compromised,” the party said ending its statement with a dire warning to all involved.
