APNU urges GECOM to rigorously enforce vote-buying laws

One day after the Guyana Elections Commission issued a warning that it is a criminal offence to pay voters in exchange for their vote, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has issued a call for the enforcement of the laws prohibiting vote buying and for stricter measures to protect the secrecy of the ballot.
In a statement released Monday, the coalition referenced the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) August 4 press release, welcoming its focus but criticising it for omitting a key concern: the use of mobile phones to photograph marked ballots as evidence for bribe collection.

“Guyana has reached a point in its electoral history where the secrecy of the ballot must be guaranteed more than ever before,” APNU said, recalling its earlier warnings at a press conference on July 18. “Elections can only be a true reflection of the will of the people when they can vote free from fear, coercion, and bribes,” the statement read.
The coalition pointed to existing legal provisions that criminalise both bribery and actions that compromise the secrecy of the vote. Specifically, APNU cited Section 77(2) of the Representation of the People Act, which prohibits any inducement for an elector to reveal their vote, and Section 130, which criminalises offering or accepting bribes in exchange for votes.
“Not only are those who directly or indirectly seek to buy votes guilty of the corrupt practice of bribery, but so too are those electors who accept such bribes,” the coalition stated. “We therefore urge all Guyanese electors not to be tempted to break the law and risk fines and imprisonment for any bribe waved in their faces by those who believe that popularity could be bought.”
APNU also expressed concern about the increasing use of photography in polling stations to confirm voting choices in exchange for payment, calling on GECOM to publicly and repeatedly emphasise that the use of cameras or taking photographs of ballots is strictly prohibited.
Anonymous hotlines
The coalition further urged GECOM and the Guyana Police Force to establish anonymous hotlines for citizens to report suspected electoral fraud, including vote buying and coercion, and called on other political parties to support such measures in the interest of free and fair elections.
GECOM’s warning
On Monday, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) urged all stakeholders to uphold their statutory and civic responsibilities to ensure the polls are conducted in a free, fair, transparent and credible manner.
In a public statement issued, the Commission strongly emphasised the importance of compliance with key provisions of the Representation of the People Act (Cap. 1:03), which outlines several electoral offences and penalties aimed at preserving the integrity of the voting process.
Among the provisions highlighted, GECOM reminded voters and political actors alike that it is a criminal offence for any individual – including the voter – to disclose to anyone the political party for which they or another person have voted, whether on their own behalf or as a proxy; any attempt to coerce or influence a voter into displaying their marked ballot or revealing their vote is similarly prohibited, and offering money, gifts or loans to voters in exchange for their vote is strictly illegal.
The Commission cautioned that any individual found guilty of these offences is liable to a fine and imprisonment of up to six months upon summary conviction. In addition, convicted individuals may be barred from participating in future elections.
GECOM’s reminder comes as Guyana is weeks away from the September 1 elections. The Commission is also urging all voters, parties and other actors involved in the elections to familiarise themselves with the legal requirements and to act in accordance with the law.

Vote buying
The commission’s warning comes days after a video surfaced on social media showing We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Presidential candidate and United States-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed was seen distributing cash at a public meeting in an indigenous community and making certain promises.
In 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it sanctioned Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, as well as several of their companies.
According to a statement from OFAC, this is related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10 thousand kilograms of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.