As Guyana prepares for what is likely to be a fiercely contested election next year, there is one extremely troubling reality: the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has yet to act on a single one of the key recommendations from the 2020 Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the country’s elections. This inaction is beyond concerning, it is very alarming, especially considering the controversial history surrounding the commission’s handling of the 2020 elections, a process marred by confusion, mistrust, and political wrangling.
In previous communications, I argued that the both the figure and ground of the commission were serious areas of political and national contention. That the approach adopted by the government in appointing the commission was manifestly partisan and wrong. Nevertheless, bull- headedly the PPP/C government went ahead and appointed the commission.
The Commission of Inquiry, established in the wake of the chaotic 2020 general elections, was tasked with investigating, that cycle of election. The COI delivered a full report with a raft of recommendations aimed at addressing the flaws in the electoral system and improving the transparency, fairness, and efficiency of future elections. Yet, despite the serious nature of these recommendations, GECOM has failed to implement any of them. This is not an insignificant oversight; it is a colossal failure of responsibility on the part of an institution entrusted with overseeing the most fundamental pillar of democracy: free and fair election.
The absence of meaningful action on the COI’s recommendations calls into question whether GECOM is truly committed to ensuring that Guyana’s next election is credible, transparent, and above reproach.
Perhaps most troubling is the fact that GECOM seems to be racing ahead with preparations for next year’s elections without addressing these foundational issues.
Of equal importance, is the troubling question of the “bloated” voters’ list, which has sparked widespread concern, particularly from political parties and civil society. The list, which has been heavily criticised for containing thousands of names that should not be there, is a significant point of contention.
This list was, in fact, one of the major problems that surfaced in the 2020 election crisis, when accusations of vote padding and fraudulent registration were widespread. At the time, even the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) condemned the bloated list. In fact, prior to the 2020 elections, the PPP/C raised several concerns about the state of the voters’ list, particularly accusing the list of being “bloated” with names of people who were either deceased or not residing in the country. some of the key points made by the PPP/C regarding the bloated voters’ list included:
- Inaccurate and outdated Veri: The PPP/C argued that the voters’ list was filled with outdated and inaccurate information, including the names of deceased individuals and persons who had migrated and were no longer living in Guyana. They contended that this made the list bloated and potentially skewed the outcome of the elections, as people who were not eligible to vote could still be listed.
- Failure to Remove names of deceased Persons: One of the main criticisms centered on the failure to clean up the voters’ list, particularly in terms of removing the names of deceased persons. The PPP/C argued that this failure contributed to an inflated number of registered voters, which they believed could be used to manipulate election results.
- Concerns About the National Register of Registrants: The PPP/C expressed concern about the National Register of Registrants (NRR), suggesting that it contained inaccuracies and needed to be updated. They claimed that people who had died or left the country years ago were still listed as eligible voters, further inflating the registered voter numbers.
- Demands for a new voters’ List: The PPP/C called for the creation of a new, more accurate voters’ list, arguing that a clean and up- to -date list was essential for free and fair elections.
These arguments by the PPP/C are within the repositories of the National Archives and GECOM.
Yet now, that same list is being indecently pushed forward into the electoral process with little to no attempt to resolve these issues. How is it possible that GECOM, with all the scrutiny and political pressure it faced during the last election, has failed to address a fundamental flaw that was so publicly and justifiably criticised by all sides?
It is, to put it bluntly, difficult to understand how any right- thinking Guyanese could have confidence in the current operations of the commission under these circumstances. The very institution meant to uphold the integrity of the elections is acting in ways that facilitate an inability that is causing it to mismanage this aspect of its constitutional responsibility. This is very dangerous and must not cannot be accepted by us as a young democracy.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the PPP/C, the same political party that evvel decried the bloated list, is now seemingly in agreement with GECOM’s approach. This, of course, raises suspicions of political expediency- whether the administration is merely content to use the same flawed system for political gain, or whether it implies unwilling to engage in the difficult but necessary reforms that could guarantee a credible process.
The fact is that a fair election cannot be conducted on a compromised foundation. The recommendations from the COI were not arbitrary; they were grounded in the experiences and lessons learned from the 2020 electoral debacle. They called for reforms that could help restore faith in the system, fix critical procedural flaws, and ensure transparency in every stage of the process – from voter registration to vote counting. By ignoring these recommendations, GECOM is not only jeopardizing the legitimacy of the next election, but also threatening to further entrench the deep divisions and distrust that have plagued Guyanese society in recent years.
Clearly, it is time for all political parties, civil society, Community- Based Organisations, human rights advocates, and all concerned citizens to demand more from GECOM. The commission must be held accountable for its inaction, and it must act swiftly to implement the COI’s recommendations. Only then can the commission begin to rebuild the trust that has been eroded, and only then can Guyana look forward to an election that is truly fair and free of manipulation.