The People’s National Congress Islahat (PNCR) has strongly criticised the recent decision by the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), ret’d Justice Claudette Singh, to rule out the use of fingerprint biometrics for the 2025 General and Regional Elections. Justice Singh cited time constraints as the reason for rejecting the proposal, but the PNCR has dismissed this as “uninformed, irresponsible, devious, and conniving.”
The PNCR argued that the demand for a clean voters’ list and the integration of fingerprint biometrics has been on GECOM’s agenda since the aftermath of the 2020 elections—more than four years ago. The party accused Justice Singh of deliberately delaying discussions on the matter to align with the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) agenda. The Party stated, “Justice Claudette Singh as GECOM Chair has shown neither leadership, vision, nor courage.”
The PNCR has called for GECOM to immediately solicit technical proposals from reputable local and international firms to assess the feasibility of introducing biometrics for both voter registration and voting. The party suggested that advertising for proposals, submission, and evaluation could be completed within four to five weeks, allowing ample time for implementation before the elections.
Additionally, the Joint Opposition, in a November 7, 2024 statement, made clear its call for biometrics to be included in the electoral process, highlighting the necessity of a secure system to prevent electoral fraud. The statement, signed by the People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR/APNU), Alliance for Change (AFC) and Working People’s Alliance (WPA), expressly states:
“The Joint Opposition supports the full implementation of biometrics throughout the election process: that is, the capture of fingerprints digitally in the registration process (to enhance the quality of fingerprints available to the Commission and aid in the prevention of multiple registration) and digitized fingerprint identification at the place of poll (to prevent voter impersonation or identity theft).
“We express our preparedness to lend support to all the necessary stages to arrive at this outcome, including enacting constitutional and statutory changes, if necessary.”
The PNCR further questioned the basis of Justice Singh’s decision, demanding that she provide evidence or expert advice she relied upon to conclude that biometrics is not feasible within the available time frame. “She must name the specialists she consulted,” the PNCR said, adding that failure to provide such information would further damage her credibility and competence.
The party reiterated its demand for a clean voters’ list and called on Guyanese citizens to continue pressuring GECOM to adopt measures that ensure fair and transparent elections. The PNCR insisted that the integrity of the 2025 elections must not be compromised by what it described as “political biases and fears.”
GTUC has also voiced its support for a clean Voter’s List and the inclusion of biometrics in the electoral process. The GTUC emphasised the importance of such measures to ensure free, fair transparent and credible elections. To this end the GTUC is demanding a thorough cleansing of the Voter’s List to address what it describes as compromised registrations. According to the union, their concerns have been supported by both PPP/C members and international observers who have reviewed the list.
The federated body points out that growth in voter registration has raised serious questions, especially given the last official census took place in 2012, and there has been no update since, pointing out there has been a dramatic increase in voters—up by nearly 75,000 from the 2020 elections—is concerning in the absence of a more recent population count.
The calls for biometrics come amidst ongoing debates about electoral reforms in Guyana, with political parties and civil society groups emphasising the need for a robust system to restore public confidence in the electoral process.