Veteran trade unionist Lincoln Lewis has delivered a stern rebuke of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), condemning its refusal to provide hard copies of the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) to smaller political parties as a grave betrayal of electoral fairness and democratic inclusivity.
Lewis, General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), responded sharply to recent revelations by Nigel Hughes, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), who exposed GECOM’s decision to withhold printed copies of the voters list from smaller parties. This move has ignited outrage among advocates for electoral integrity, who see it as a deliberate attempt to silence emerging voices and undermine the foundations of democracy.
In his Eye on Guyana column, Lewis did not mince words: he called on both the Government and the Opposition to stand firm and demand that all political parties, regardless of size, be given equal access to the voters list. “The PNCR/APNU must demand the List be delivered to all political parties,” he declared.
“These elections are not just about the Government and the Opposition. They are about the people — all the people — and every registered political party. Each must be treated equally and in accordance with the electoral laws of Guyana.”
Lewis reminded the nation of the trade union movement’s proud history of fighting for one-man-one-vote and internal self-government. Safeguarding the integrity of the vote, he stressed, is not a partisan issue — it is a matter of national survival, especially for working-class Guyanese who have long struggled for their voice to be heard.
Turning his sharp criticism to the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and GECOM leadership, Lewis accused them of deliberately stalling essential electoral reforms. He warned that their refusal to provide a clean voters list and to implement biometric voter identification reveals a deeper, troubling fear — a fear of true electoral accountability.
“While Bharrat Jagdeo shouts that others want to rig the elections, he and the PPP-nominated GECOM Commissioners and Chairperson retired Justice Claudette Singh are doing absolutely nothing to produce a clean voters list,” Lewis stated bluntly. “Guyana can afford the US$20 million needed for a biometric system — this is not about resources, it’s about political will.”
Guyana is ranked the world’s fastest-growing economy and boasts the highest per capita. Since producing its first oil in 2019, the country has generated over US$5 billion in oil revenue to date.
Lewis pointed out that the PPP once supported national calls for biometric verification and a clean voters list — when they were in opposition under Jagdeo. “Now, with all of Guyana’s oil wealth and legal experts at their disposal, the PPP and GECOM offer only weak excuses for failing to act,” he charged.
Citing a troubling history of electoral irregularities, including the misallocation of a parliamentary seat in 2006 and the failure to submit Statements of Poll in PPP strongholds during the 2020 elections, Lewis warned of a persistent pattern that chips away at public trust in democracy.
“What is telling,” he wrote, “is that the PPP and GECOM always find reasons why something can’t be done — but never once say, ‘This is what the people want, and we must deliver.’”
The electoral process must be inclusive, transparent, and grounded firmly in law, Lewis contends. He says, every political party, no matter how small, deserves access to the tools necessary for fair competition.
“The demand is not for systems to rig elections,” Lewis concluded passionately. “It is for systems that guarantee the integrity of the vote — systems that Guyanese have fought for and rightfully deserve.”
