“Reject the voices that divide” – Pres Ali on upcoming elections

…says elections must not be about hate, division but parties must campaign on vision & track-record

With General and Regional Elections in Guyana set for September 1 – approximately three months away, President Dr Irfaan Ali has emphasised that this season should not be about hate or division. The President was at the time speaking during the flag raising ceremony in observance of Guyana’s 59th independence anniversary on Sunday, where he also made the announcement of Elections Day.
Ali, who will be vying for a second term in office for the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), asserted that this election campaign season should be about a competition of ideas and track-record.
“Elections must not be about 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, competition of ideas and vision. It must be about track record, not empty rhetoric,” Ali expressed.
“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,” he further emphasised.
Additionally, during this elections season, President Ali urged citizens to “reject the voices that divide” and to also stand firm in the defence of democracy. According to the President, Guyanese must show, through their votes, that “the democratic spirit of Guyana is not only alive, but strong, unshakable and irreversible.”
Guyana last held its General and Regional Elections on 2 March 2020. However, the process was marred by attempts from certain officials to undermine the will of the people, along with a refusal by the then David Granger-led coalition of the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government to step down. After almost five months of legal and other battles and the announcement of United States (US) sanctions against certain officials who played a role in the undermining of democracy, then President Granger finally conceded defeat and President Ali was sworn in on August 2, 2025.
Meanwhile, those who are alleged to have participated in the attempts to derail the elections are currently before the courts on electoral fraud charges. Nine persons are before the court in this case, which pertains to the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.
They include former Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers. Also charged are former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairperson Volda Lawrence; PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph; and Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings.
Together, these nine defendants confront 33 counts of election-related fraud, focused on alleged efforts to manipulate voting results. Initially overseen by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, the trial began in July 2024, but was paused following her extended medical leave, which has resulted in the trial being reassigned to acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty. The trial is currently ongoing.