In a breaking news report delivered this afternoon by HGP Nightly News, the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, has made a decisive ruling rejecting the implementation of biometric voting systems for the upcoming 2025 General and Regional Elections.
Justice Singh explained that the introduction of biometric systems at this stage, with less than a year to go before the elections, is simply not feasible. She emphasised that numerous essential steps would need to be completed in a short period, making the transition to such a system impractical.
“In relation to whether GECOM could introduce the digital collection of fingerprints and biometric fingerprint identification of voters in time for the 2025 General and Regional Elections, we would still have to do major things such as:
- Holding stakeholder consultations to determine whether GECOM should introduce biometrics now,
- Consulting with stakeholders like the Government and Parliament to determine whether it is even possible to do so now, considering costs and any legislative amendments necessary to cater fully for it,
- Procurement of equipment for the introduction of biometrics in the registration process and at the place of poll,
- Training of staff on the use of such equipment, and
- Public education on the introduction of these systems and how they are to be used to aid in registration and in voting,” Justice Singh stated.
Her decision marks a critical point in the ongoing debate over electoral reforms.
The call for the introduction of biometrics in the electoral process is not a recent development. In fact, the push for biometrics can be traced back most recent to the post-2015 elections, when the then Opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) called for a clean voter’s list and the incorporation of biometric voter identification.
In 2020, the parliamentary Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) singularly and collectively pushed for the system’s introduction, along with the trade union movement and civil society, citing concerns about election transparency and voter integrity.
Justice Singh’s ruling, however, has largely ignored these longstanding calls from the Guyanese public. Critics argue that the decision represents a missed opportunity to modernise the country’s electoral process and enhance voter security.
Critics see Justice Singh’s decision as a further blow to democracy, and her continuing to vote in lock step with the PPP whilst ignoring the calls of civil society to put measures in place to deliver free, fair and credible elections. GECOM’s ruling will no doubt put a damper on the spirit of some Guyanese but may not quiet the debate over biometric voting to address legitimate concerns surrounding the voter list and election transparency.