No evidence of bloated list, campaigning in Guyana remains peaceful – Carter Center

Releasing its Preelection Statement for Guyana’s September 1 General and Regional Elections (GRE), the Carter Center reported no evidence of inflation in the Official List of Electors (OLE) and noted that campaigning has proceeded mostly peacefully, aside from only minor incidents.

The organisation praised legal reforms introducing new voter registration rules, decentralised tabulation and greater transparency. However, it urged GECOM to improve public communication and emphasised the need for equal access to public resources and media, transparent campaign finances and citizens’ full participation in the political process. The Carter Center reported that, despite public concern about the size of the OLE, which currently stands at 757,690 registered voters, no credible evidence of voter list manipulation or inflation was found.

“While the relative size of the OLE raises concerns for many Guyanese, The Carter Center has not received evidence of inflation of the voter roll,” the statement read.

On its observation of the campaign period thus far the organisation noted that: “To date, the campaign has proceeded in a generally peaceful manner with no major incidents of violence, although some confrontations at public meetings and overheated rhetoric have been reported.”

However, the Center also expressed concern that only four of the six contesting parties signed the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) Code of Conduct. The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) lead by Presidential Candidate, Aubrey Norton, and Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) led by Amanza Walton-Desir have not signed the Code of Conduct. The Carter Center also highlighted concerns of incidents of destruction of campaign materials by opposing party supporters.

In one such incident earlier this year, video captured We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) supporters aggressively removing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) flags from a vehicle and tossing them roadside in the presence of WIN Presidential Candidate, United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed. The incident sparked outrage among PPP/C activists, who saw it as a deliberate and confrontational sign of escalating political hostility. A report was subsequently made to the police. In another incident on the campaign trail, which was not in the Carter Center report, was WIN representative Bradley Sampson, known as “Doggie,” beating a woman with a firearm during a dispute over underpayment of individuals mobilised to participate in the nominations march for WIN.

Another incident that was not captured in the pre-elections report, WIN associate, Bryan Max, was caught on camera threatening to kill a sitting Government Minister with a machete in his hand. Additionally, Mohamed faced complaints from Amerindian communities after campaigning in their villages without permission, violating the Amerindian Act. Objections from Toshaos were met with intimidation by Mohamed and his supporters. However, this too was not reported in the pre-election report.

In yet another incident, which too was not captured in the report, the US-sanctioned Mohamed could be seen distributing cash at a public meeting in an indigenous community and making certain promises. This prompted GECOM to issue a warning that it is a criminal offence to pay voters in exchange for their vote.

In their statement, the Carter Center appealed to the parties for peace, saying: “The Center urges all political parties and state bodies to respect the rights of individuals to associate freely and calls on all parties to refrain from any actions that could be construed as intimidation or victimisation.”

The Carter Center also addressed the case of three local commercial banks having closed the personal accounts of around 40 WIN candidates, party members and associates. However, while expressing concern that the banks may be over-complying with the sanctions, the US Treasury Department has not clarified the extent of the banks’ liability when dealing with associates of sanctioned individuals, nor has it addressed whether such transactions pose a risk to the banks’ licences.

Debanking (sometimes spelled de-banking, and also known within the banking industry as de-risking) is the closure of people’s or organisations’ bank accounts by banks that perceive the account holders to pose a financial, legal, regulatory, or reputational risk to the bank.

The organisation also addressed what it termed the “misuse of state resources”, accusing President Dr Irfaan Ali sought to give the PPP/C an unfair advantage by announcing the promotion of over 2800 Guyana Police Force (GPF) officers and making bridge crossings free from August 1, after July 30.

However, while these measures were implemented after July 30, they were in fact announced earlier in the year, even before the election date was set in May. The bridge toll removal was disclosed in March, while the police promotions are part of a broader reform of the Joint Services. In January, President Ali announced an increase in the minimum wage for junior ranks to $130,000 and years ago reaffirmed the Government’s restoration of the Joint Services’ annual one-month bonus.

Following an invitation from the Government in April, The Carter Center’s team arrived in Guyana in June and will continue observing the election through and after voting day. The organisation will issue a preliminary report shortly after the election, followed by a final comprehensive report in the coming months.

With less than two weeks to go before voters’ head to the polls, the Center urged continued vigilance and commitment to democratic norms, emphasising that the integrity of Guyana’s electoral process depends not only on laws and procedures, but on the conduct of political actors, state institutions and the public at large.

The Carter Center praised recent electoral reforms aimed at enhancing transparency and voter access, including new voter registration rules, decentralised tabulation procedures and strengthened requirements for publishing polling station results. Among the most notable changes highlighted by the Center were the subdivision of Regions Three, Four, and Six into polling subdistricts for decentralised tabulation and legal mandates for the immediate publication of Statements of Poll (SoPs) and tabulation forms online, Enhanced verification methods for the removal of deceased persons from the OLE.

“The legal and electoral framework governing Guyana’s general and regional elections has undergone important reform since the country’s last national election in 2020, particularly in the areas of tabulation and voter registration,” the statement said. However, while the Carter Center welcomed the electoral reforms, it expressed concern that many of the legal changes are not well understood by the general public and some political actors. The organisation urged GECOM to take urgent action to improve transparency and public engagement, particularly in the run-up to election day and during the tabulation process.

The Carter Center recommends that GECOM engage the press regularly and predictably in advance of election day and throughout the tabulation process to inform the public about the status of its preparations,” the statement said.

A recognised leader in the international election observation community and has conducted 125 election observation missions globally, including in Guyana in 1992, 2001, 2006, 2015, and 2020.