Walton-Desir Presses GECOM for Full Disclosure on Foreign Voters

The integrity of Guyana’s September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections has come under renewed scrutiny, as the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and a coalition of twelve civil society organisations challenge the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) over the inclusion of Commonwealth citizens on the Official List of Electors. The controversy centers around GECOM’s lack of transparency in disclosing key details about the foreign nationals allowed to vote.

On September 10, FGM wrote to GECOM demanding answers regarding the inclusion of Commonwealth citizens on the voters’ list, and followed up with a second request shortly after. In a response dated September 30, GECOM Chair Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh confirmed that 2,000 Commonwealth citizens were listed on the roll for the September 1 elections. However, she did not provide a breakdown of how many actually voted or their countries of origin — an omission that FGM Leader Amanza Walton-Desir says only deepens concerns and raises more questions than it answers.

“While it is a nice neat figure, I’m interested in the desegregation — how many of those people are Nigerians, Bangladeshis, Trinidadians, Sri Lankans? That information is not forthcoming,” Walton-Desir told News Source.

“If you know it is 2,000, then you ought to be able to tell me five are from here, ten are from there, three hundred are from there.”

This concern was first raised on September 2, 2025, when a group of civil society organisations issued a joint public statement urging international observers to withhold endorsement of the election results pending a thorough investigation. The organisations reiterated their concerns following GECOM’s response, expressing dissatisfaction with the Commission’s lack of transparency and once again calling for greater accountability in the electoral process. The organisations include:

1. Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA)

2. Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC)

3. Red Thread

4. Guyana Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP)

5. Policy Forum Guyana

6. Access to Information Group

7. Amerindian Peoples Association (APA)

8. Guyana Women’s Union (GWU)

9. East Coast Clean-up Committee

10. Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI)

11. Guyana Society for the Blind

12. SASOD Guyana

The organisations cited Article 59 of the Constitution of Guyana, which states:

“Subject to the provisions of article 159, every person may vote at an election if he or she is of the age of eighteen years or upwards and is either a citizen of Guyana or a Commonwealth citizen domiciled and resident in Guyana.”

They emphasised that while the Constitution allows Commonwealth citizens to vote, this right is conditional upon domicile and residence, which must be properly verified. Under Article 159(1), further qualifications include being registered and not disqualified under the law. The groups contend that registering individuals without proven long-term domicile in Guyana violates these provisions and undermines public confidence in the electoral process.

GECOM has defended its actions, asserting that the registration of Commonwealth citizens was conducted in full compliance with the statutory requirements outlined in Guyana’s election laws. However, the Commission’s refusal to disclose further details, including country of origin and actual voter participation data, has left critics dissatisfied and concerned about the possibility of voter list manipulation.

The dust may have settled on a fiercely contested election, but unanswered questions continue to stir the political landscape. Failure to confront these concerns head-on could ignite legal battles and deepen public mistrust. Civil society groups and opposition leaders are demanding urgent reforms to safeguard the integrity and transparency of future elections.