2025 General, Regional Elections: Carter Center in Guyana on pre-assessment mission

A team from the Carter Center is currently in Guyana on a pre-assessment mission ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections. Founder of the Carter Center, former President of the USA, Jimmy Carter, first visited Guyana in 1990, and the Center has since consistently sent a key elections observer mission to this country.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday indicated that Government has invited the Carter Center, the European Union, and others to observe the upcoming elections.
Already, the two major political groups – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – have commenced campaigning in their traditional support base. In fact, the PPP/C has concluded its congress to set the pace for the elections, while the major parties in the APNU: People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance for Change (AFC), are each set to host their Congress soon.
Jagdeo has said the Carter Center pre-assessment mission would meet with President Irfaan Ali on Thursday. The team has already engaged Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips on Tuesday. According to reports, Prime Minister Phillips has reaffirmed the Government of Guyana’s steadfast commitment to democracy and the rule of law, and underscored the nation’s dedication to maintaining transparent and fair electoral practices.
The team would also engage Opposition members, private sector representatives, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and civil society organisations in a comprehensive engagement that is aimed at ensuring a thorough assessment of the pre-election landscape in Guyana.
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 in order 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 — well before the next general elections.
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 publicize written procedures for tabulation.
Currently, several former employees of GECOM, including the Chief Elections Officer and Deputy Chief Elections Officer, are before the court on matters relating to electoral fraud.