Pres Ali meets Carter Center team following completion of 2025 elections report

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday received a courtesy visit from representatives of Carter Center at State House, following the completion and release of the organisation’s final report on Guyana’s 2025 General and Regional Elections. According to a statement shared by the President on social media, members of Carter Center team presented a summary of the report’s recommendations during the meeting. Joining President Ali were Vice President (VP) and General Secretary (GS) of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and several members of Cabinet. Representing The Carter Center were its Guyana Country Director Jason Calder and Brett Lacy.

The engagement comes approximately one month after the Carter Center published its final assessment of the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections, which it described as a significant milestone in Guyana’s democratic development. In the report released on May 15, 2026, the international observer mission stated that the 2025 elections represented the smoothest voting process it had observed in Guyana since it began monitoring elections in the country. The Center noted that legislative reforms implemented after the disputed 2020 elections contributed to a more transparent and verifiable tabulation process, helping to strengthen public confidence in the results. The Carter Center said that election-day procedures were conducted in an orderly manner and that observers reported no significant irregularities at polling stations they visited across the country. “On election day, the voting process itself was the smoothest the Carter Center has observed in Guyana,” the report stated, adding that observers rated procedures positively at every polling station visited. The organisation also commended Guyanese citizens for maintaining a peaceful environment throughout the election campaign and voting period. According to the report, while political competition remained vigorous, voters exercised their democratic rights peacefully. The Center described the elections as an important demonstration of Guyana’s democratic resilience following the challenges that emerged during the 2020 electoral process. For the 2025 elections, Carter Center deployed 43 international observers from 21 countries across all 10 administrative regions of Guyana. The observer mission monitored voting at approximately 17 per cent of polling stations and also observed post-election activities, including the tabulation of results at regional offices. A major focus of the report was the revised tabulation system introduced through electoral reforms enacted in 2022. The Center concluded that the changes significantly improved transparency and accountability in the counting process. The report highlighted measures such as the public posting of Statements of Poll (SoPs) and their timely publication on the Guyana Elections Commission’s website. According to the observer mission, these changes allowed political parties, observers and members of the public to more closely scrutinise and verify election results. While acknowledging that the requirement to upload all Statements of Poll before tabulation created some delays, Carter Center stated that the overall process functioned efficiently and experienced few technical challenges.

Public confidence
Despite the positive assessment of election administration, the report identified several issues that continue to affect public confidence in the country’s electoral system. Among the concerns raised were campaign financing, the use of state resources during election campaigns, media access and balance, and the structure of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The report also pointed to the need for broader constitutional and electoral reforms. The Center reiterated previous recommendations aimed at strengthening GECOM’s independence, effectiveness and professionalism. It also called for an independent audit of the voters’ list to address ongoing concerns regarding the accuracy and integrity of the electoral register. Additionally, the report noted a decline in voter turnout when compared with the 2020 elections. According to the Center, voter participation fell by approximately 15 per cent despite population growth during the intervening period. The report suggested that the decline, particularly in areas traditionally supportive of opposition parties, warrants further examination to better understand the factors contributing to voter disengagement. The Carter Center also examined the political implications of the 2025 election results, noting that the outcome significantly altered Guyana’s political landscape. The report observed the collapse of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Coalition and the emergence of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party as the leading opposition force in Parliament.
According to the report, the results marked the first time in Guyana’s history that neither the PPP/C nor the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) or a coalition led by it, would serve as the major opposition party. Monday’s meeting at State House provided an opportunity for Government officials and representatives of The Carter Center to discuss the findings and recommendations outlined in the report as Guyana continues discussions on electoral governance and democratic reform.