Guyana welcomes cont’d US support for fair, credible electoral process ahead of 2025 polls

With the 2025 General and Regional Elections just three months away, President Dr Irfaan Ali says Guyana is looking forward to the United States’ (US) continued support to ensure that there is a fair and credible electoral process in the country.
Speaking at a recent reception hosted by the US Embassy in Georgetown to celebrate the US upcoming 249th Independence anniversary, the Head of State said Guyana recognises the importance of robust, sustainable and democratic institutions. As such, he welcomed US assistance to ensure that the country’s democracy remains intact at the upcoming polls on September 1 as was done at the last elections in 2020.

“As Guyana prepares for its upcoming General and Regional Elections in September, we welcome the continued support of the United States in ensuring a fair, transparent and credible electoral process, as was the case with your support eventually after the 2020 elections,” President Ali stated.
The US, along with the other members of the ABCE community – United Kingdom (UK), Canada and the European Union (EU) had played a crucial role at the 2020 elections in ensuring Guyana’s democracy was not derailed, and had even issued visa sanctions on top officials in the country who were involved in attempts to subvert the March 2, 2020 elections.
Those rigging attempts by the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition Government to stay in power had resulted in a five-month political deadlock before the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration was finally declared the winner and sworn in to office on August 2, 2020.
The ABCE diplomatic missions in Guyana were at the time vocal in their calls for democracy to prevail and for the will of the Guyanese people to be respected.
Heading into the 2025 polls, these countries have already signalled their intention to field Election Observer Missions (EOM) to Guyana in order to monitor the activities here.
In fact, the EU has already signed an agreement with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to facilitate the process. Signing the Administrative Arrangement for the European Union Elections Observation Mission (EUEOM) on June 11, was EU Ambassador to Guyana René van Nes and GECOM Chairperson, retired Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.
“The Administrative Arrangement establishes the framework for the EUEOM’s deployment and operation in Guyana for the September 1, 2025 General and Regional elections,” a statement following the signing detailed.
Additionally, Canada has also signalled its intention to once again play its part in ensuring the integrity of the 2025 polls.
“…With the elections coming up in Guyana on September 1, Canada will work with the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities. We will work with the Organisation of American States, and we will work with the Carter Centre to ensure accessibility, transparency and fairness because a strong democracy makes for a strong nation,” Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Sébastien Sigouin, declared at the Canada Day celebration in Georgetown on June 25.
In addition to the ABCE community, several international bodies like the US-based Carter Centre – founded by the late former US President, Jimmy Carter – will also be sending observer missions to Guyana for the upcoming elections.

The governing PPP/C Administration has already indicated that it will invite as many of the reputable international observer mission to monitor the September polls.

Defending democracy
Meanwhile, during Friday’s reception, the US Ambassador underscored the importance of actively upholding democracy.
“Democracy is not a gift granted once and forever secured—it is a living commitment that must be nurtured and defended by every generation,” Ambassador Theriot stressed.
The US Government is also likely to field an observer mission, through its Embassy in Georgetown – as was done previous years for Guyana’s elections.
Only back in March, Ambassador Theriot had disclosed that her Government plans to field a technical expert to assist GECOM with elections preparations.
“Our hope is that we’ll be able to embed an advisor – a Chief Technical Advisor who is incredibly skilled and experienced in elections support – with GECOM to sit with them, to sit the Commissioners and the Chair and the CEO (Chief Elections Officer) to help them as they start to do more in terms of preparation for elections… This person would just be an objective assistant advising GECOM on how to move forward in the various capacities, because there is a lot to do,” she had told reporters.
According to the US Ambassador at the time, election support, including financial aid, is a high priority for her office. This commitment came as the Donald Trump Administration was cutting foreign aid for most countries, including Guyana but the Ambassador had assured this impact is minimal for Guyana since it did not have a lot of US-funded programmes.
Moreover, at a subsequently press conference on November 22 last, CEO Vishnu Persaud told reporters that the international development partners had agreed to respond to the needs of GECOM based on a needs assessment.
Previously, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, had also indicated the UK’s readiness to work with Guyana to avoid a recurrence of the 2020 events at this year’s polls.
The British diplomat, who only took up her posting in Guyana in 2021, had told this publication back in October that the UK Government is keen on ensuring, as it has in the past, free and fair elections in Guyana.
“The UK Government doesn’t want to see a repeat of 2020; and throughout the world, we’ve worked with countries on free and fair elections. And we’re doing the same here,” she stressed during an interview with this publication.