Election Day declared a national holiday

The Guyana Government has announced Monday, September 1, 2025, as a national holiday to facilitate the holding of General and Regional Elections in the country.
According to Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, this decision was made “pursuant to the powers conferred on me by Section 6 of the Public Holidays Act, Chapter 19:07, of the Laws of Guyana”.
On Monday, Guyanese will be heading to the polls to select a President and new Government for the next five years.
Incumbent President Dr Irfaan Ali is returning on the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) ticket, alongside Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, to seek a second term in office at the upcoming polls.
They will be contesting against five other political parties, including A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) with Aubrey Norton as its Presidential candidate and Juretha Fernandes as the Prime Ministerial (PM) candidate, Alliance For Change (AFC) with Nigel Hughes as the Presidential candidate and Laura George as the PM candidate, and the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, led by United States-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who is yet to name a running mate. The four parties will be contesting all 10 administrative regions (districts) across Guyana.
On the other hand, the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), with former parliamentarian Amanza Walton-Desir as the Presidential candidate and PM candidate Nigel London, will be contesting seven regions, while former Minister Simona Broomes is contesting solo in six regions under her party, the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP).
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has already declared its readiness for the upcoming elections.
According to the Elections Commission, there will be 2970 polling stations across Guyana on Monday with a final count of 757,690 total voters registered on the Official List of Electors (OLE) as eligible to vote.
This marks an increase of 631 more polling stations than were established for the 2020 General and Regional Elections, with the OLE increasing by 14.63 per cent, or 96,692 voters.
Prior to Monday’s polling day, or E-Day, members of the Disciplined Services in Guyana – the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Prisons Services (GPS) – cast their ballots on August 22.
Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud, earlier this week, reported that 83 per cent of the 10,481 Disciplined Services members successfully cast their ballots on D-Day. These include 5729 police officers, 2,575 soldiers, and 397 prison officers who exercised their franchise.
The turnout, Persaud said, represents the highest participation rate since the 2018 Local Government Elections, surpassing figures recorded in both the 2020 General and Regional Elections and the 2023 Local Government Elections.
Disciplined Services members are allowed to cast their ballots 10 days before the general population, ensuring that they are available for deployment at polling stations and other key locations on Election Day.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the upcoming Elections Day, the Police Force has been conducting several training exercises and musters to prepare ranks for posting at various locations across the country.