…“We are ready to win it for the people of Guyana” – Jagdeo
…vows to build on PPP/C’s record of progress
President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that the official date for the 2025 General and Regional Elections will be September 1, 2025, effectively setting a target for political parties to aim and campaign towards for the next four months.
The Head of State made the significant and highly anticipated announcement during his speech at the 59th Independence Flag Raising ceremony at Albion, East Berbice-Corentyne, Region Six on Sunday night.
President Ali noted that the date for elections was arrived at following consultation with Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, on the readiness of the elections agency to conduct elections.
“In keeping with the tenets of democracy and the construct of our constitution, I’ve had discussions with the Chairwoman of GECOM. And having been assured of their readiness, I’ve decided to name (September 1st), 2025, as the date for national and regional elections,” the President announced.
“In this election year, I call upon all Guyanese, wherever you live, whatever your history is, to stand for the Defence of our democracy. Let us reject the voices that divide, and any attempt to silence the will of the people,” he added.
According to President Ali, the citizens of Guyana must show, not just through words, but through actions and votes, that the democratic will of Guyanese is not only alive, but strong and unshakeable.
Campaign on vision, track record not hate speech, division
He also sounded a stark warning to political parties that they must campaign on vision and track record, not hate speech and division, in this election year.
“The elections must not be of two or more sides. It must be about the Guyanese people peacefully making their choice. It must not be about hate, division and indignity. It must be about performance, ideas and vision. It must be about track record, not empty rhetoric. These elections must be marked with love, unity, strength of character, dignity.”
“And after the ballots are cast and the results are announced, it must be about one Government governing for one Guyana. It is about a parliamentary democracy. Debating with purpose. And representing their constituents. It is about healing, love and moving forward with peace and fulfilment,” the President also said.
Ready for elections
Meanwhile, Vice President (VP) and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, made it clear that his party was ready for the upcoming polls and would be hitting the ground running, having already done significant grass roots work. He also made it clear that the PPP/C is fully prepared to win. “I welcome President Dr Irfaan Ali’s announcement of September 1st, 2025 as the date for General and Regional Elections. As the General Secretary of the PPP, I am proud to say that we are ready to deliver our message of continued progress to the people of Guyana in the upcoming election campaign,” he said in a statement.
“Importantly, we did not just deliver on our 2020–2025 manifesto — we exceeded it by listening to the needs of our people and taking decisive action. We implemented initiatives that ensured all sections of society benefited — from miners and farmers to public servants, youths, entrepreneurs and ordinary families in every community.”
Jagdeo cited a number of examples of how the PPP has taken care of the people of Guyana since 2020, such as in the case of COVID-19, where they expanded testing, secured life-saving vaccines, reopened the economy, and restored essential public services.
“Within just 40 days, we passed an emergency budget to remove burdensome taxes, support vulnerable groups, and revive critical sectors of the economy. And we did far more than that. In just under five years, we have restored confidence in the economy and created thousands of jobs for the Guyanese people.”
“From agriculture and infrastructure to energy, ICT (information and communications technology) and tourism, we have driven broad-based, inclusive growth. We invested heavily in healthcare, education, affordable housing, social welfare, and built stronger, safer communities. Over this period, thousands of house lots have been distributed, putting land and home ownership within reach for ordinary Guyanese families.”
The VP also recalled that the PPP/C was able to temper the impact of the global increase in the cost of living by increasing disposable income across both the private and public sectors. They also introduced measures like water and electric subsidies, tax waivers on fuel and a more liberal telecommunications sector to reduce the cost of data and other services.
“We also reduced mortgage interest rates and implemented a range of additional measures aimed at putting more money into people’s pockets. At the same time, we tackled rising living costs through targeted interventions for the elderly, unemployed, women, youth, and vulnerable communities, while safeguarding jobs and incomes nationwide.”
The way forward
The General Secretary also mapped out the way forward, shining a light on what Guyanese can expect from another PPP/C Government. This will include creating thousands more jobs across new and traditional sectors, expanding healthcare services with over 6,000 new jobs in that sector alone, and establishing hubs for medical tourism, biotech, and information technology.
“As we look ahead to 2025–2030, our re-election campaign will focus on our plans to build on this strong foundation. We will modernise education by embedding STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), AI (artificial intelligence) and digital skills in classrooms, increasing scholarships, and growing a Digital Guyana.”
“Housing development will accelerate with the distribution of 5,000 house lots annually, alongside new climate- resilient communities like Silica City. Major infrastructure projects — including new bridges, highways, deep-water harbours, modern airports, and waterfront developments — will reshape our national landscape, boost connectivity, and support economic diversification.”
Jagdeo emphasised that Guyanese can expect more pro-business reforms and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) financing, and the continuation of work in a number of key areas.
“These include improving garbage collection and community drainage systems to foster cleaner, healthier neighbourhoods, expanding street lighting and other initiatives to enhance community safety, and making more land available for small miners and farmers, to boost productivity and support sustainable livelihoods.”
Opposition
Jagdeo also took aim at the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), who he noted had no track record to campaign on. Jagdeo highlighted the fact that the Opposition has sustained itself by continuing to sow division.
“Needless to say, throughout our term, we have faced relentless obstruction from the Parliamentary Opposition, whose political games have done the country a disservice. The PNCR/APNU/AFC/WPA, in whatever form they present themselves to the electorate, have no track record to stand on – no record of delivering for the Guyanese people – and nothing credible to offer the electorate. As such, Guyanese can expect their characteristic campaign of lies, racism and division to continue, along with the usual long list of unrealistic, lofty, populist promises, which they have no intention of fulfilling. Our Party anticipates this and we will meet this challenge head-on, exposing their deception at every turn.”
