2025 elections: President Ali vows to safeguard Guyana’s democracy

Ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections, President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Monday recommitted to ensuring that democracy is upheld in future polls, where the will of the people is clearly reflected.
The Head of State, who was at the time addressing the 46th Conference of the Caribbean, the Americas, and the Atlantic (CAA) Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) underscored that the cornerstone of parliamentary democracy is the integrity of free and fair elections.
The Guyanese leader noted that Guyana and by extension the world must desist from subverting democracy for economic gains and instead ensure that it aligns with the voices of the people, rule of law and longstanding societal values.
“The foremost challenge in protecting parliamentary democracy therefore, is to ensure respect for free and fair election. The very basis of representative governments and parliaments. Elections that are truly reflective of the people’s will is the cornerstone of any democratic society,” the Head of State said.
Recollecting the 2020 General and Regional Elections’ fiasco created by the A Partnership for National Unity / Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC), and events which followed, the Head of State noted that these challenges have served as valuable lessons, leading to a more robust democratic system.
President Ali is hopeful that systems being put in place by government, ahead of the 2025 polls would ensure that democracy is upheld and there is a smooth transition into the office, similar to the events of the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU).
“It is common knowledge that Guyana’s political evolution has been marred by the perversion of democratic rule for almost three decades, followed by the restoration of democracy and then an aborted attempt to subvert democratic elections… I was most impressed with the just concluded UK elections, the smoothness of transition, the respect to the voters, the respect for the results and the genuine way in which that transition took place is a case study of best practice and is a case study of how transition can be managed,” he pointed out.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the major parties in the APNU: People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the AFC have all concluded their congress to set the pace for the elections.
Following the 2020 General and Regional Elections, which deteriorated during the tabulation process, the Carter Center had recommended consolidation of all legislation related to elections to create greater legal clarity and common understanding among stakeholders, and to help ensure the legal framework for elections is more accessible to Guyana’s citizens.
It was further recommended that Guyana enact legislation to regulate political parties’ registration and operations, support freedom of association, and promote broad multi-ethnic parties that can represent citizens’ interests in Government.
The Carter Center had also urged Guyana’s political leaders to make critical issues of constitutional reform an urgent priority, and commit to completing key reforms — including reform of the “winner-takes-all” election system.
Specifically, the Center had recommended that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) introduce a Political Party Code of Conduct earlier in the electoral process; increase transparency of GECOM’s operations and decision-making; update the voter registry and review voter registration procedures; better define operational procedures; enforce existing campaign finance regulations; and develop and publicise written procedures for tabulation.
Currently, several former employees of GECOM, including the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield and Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Roxanne Myers are before the court on matters relating to electoral fraud. (G1)