2025 elections: Army must remain vigilant against attempts to “unsettle internal order” – Pres Ali

With General and Regional Elections slated for later this year, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Irfaan Ali, has called on the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to be vigilant against any attempt to unsettle the order at the upcoming polls.

“While we do not anticipate unrest or anything that is contrary to the rule of law, we must remain vigilant against any attempt to unsettle internal order. The Defence Force will be on standby, prepared to act if necessary to uphold stability and protect the democratic process,” President Ali stated at the opening of the GDF’s Annual Officers’ Conference 2025 on Thursday.
According to the Head of State, the conduct of free and fair elections is fundamental to sustaining Guyana’s democracy.
“Elections are a fundamental pillar of our democracy and we must ensure that the process unfolds in an environment free from intimidation, violence and disruption. It did not go without notice, some comments made by some political leaders…”
“Our duty is to the nation, to its security and the preservation of law and order, not to any political interest. Guyana’s democracy depends on free, fair and peaceful elections, and we will ensure that no force, internal or external, will disrupt the will of the people,” he asserted.
Nevertheless, the Commander-in-Chief made it clear that while it is expected that the Defence Force, along with the other members of the Joint Services, act professionally to maintain peace and order at the upcoming elections, he assured ranks that they are free to exercise their political preference.
“Let me be clear, we’re not asking anyone to take a partisan stand. We ask every day for the members of the Joint Services to take a professional and national stance. Every member of the Force has a right to vote according to the dictates of their conscience and as long as I am Commander-in-Chief, their right will be respected. The professionalism of the military will be always upheld,” President Ali contended.
While no date has been set, the 2025 elections are likely to be held in November. It will follow the March 2020 General and Regional Elections that were embroiled in controversy following blatant attempts by the then A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Administration to rig the elections in order to stay in power. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was sworn into office five months after the March 2, 2020 polls.
Several senior staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) along with political activists are currently before the courts for various electoral fraud charges.
Only last week, it was announced that Government plans to train 2,039 police officers and 762 detectives in 2025, ahead of the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

Specialized training
With a substantial budget of $250 million allocated to human resource development within the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has said that training would include specialized areas such as criminal investigations, intelligence gathering, and community policing, thereby ensuring that officers are well-prepared to handle evolving security challenges.
Noting that this move is a vital component geared at maintaining peace and order as the 2025 General and Regional Elections approach, Benn has said, “The type and quality and footprint related to the training, and the facilities which we now have upgraded, are much better, so the quality and delivery in terms of number per training cohort is more efficient now…”
“It’s an election year, so that for that very reason the type of training may be significantly different. So, the amount…is a proportion here similar to last year, but with different focus,” the Home Affairs Minister had told the Committee of Supply during the consideration of the Estimates of Expenditure for Financial Year 2025.
The GPF has already commenced preparatory works in anticipation of the 2025 General and Regional Elections. In fact, the Commissioners of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) have recently paid a courtesy call on Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken at his offices at Eve Leary to discuss areas of mutual cooperation.
During that meeting, Shaikh Moeen-ul Hack, Chairman of the ERC, expressed gratitude to the Police Force for providing training to ERC staff on the Cybercrime Act and on CID Induction Training for the ERC’s Investigative Unit.
In response, Commissioner Hicken reaffirmed the GPF’s commitment to providing additional training support to the ERC, and welcomed the opportunity for GPF officers to benefit from ERC-led training in areas such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The ERC and GPF have already collaborated on several cases related to violations of the Racial Hostility Act and the Cybercrime Act, some of which are ongoing. With the country entering the elections season, both sides recognize the importance of enhanced collaboration. To strengthen this partnership, they intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to streamline the handling of cases forwarded by the ERC.
The ERC and GPF have reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding the rule of law by fostering ethnic harmony, security and good relations across Guyana.