Dear Editor,
The year 2025 was truly the year of peace, culminating in a tremendous success for the national and regional elections. For the first time in Guyana’s history, the political campaigns and post-election activities were smooth and entirely devoid of outlandish threats and violence. Across the country, Election Day was peaceful and quiet. Significantly, Guyanese learnt the results within twenty-four hours after polls closed, and the nation accepted the landslide victory of the PPP/C.
The preparation for the elections was exceptionally thorough, guided by the necessary legal adjustments in the Representation of the People Act (ROPA). The amendments to ROPA were passed by the National Assembly on June 2, 2025, specifically to strengthen the electoral system and prevent attempts to derail the election process. The reforms, tested for the first time in the 2025 elections, included new transparency measures such as real-time online publication of the Statements of Poll (SoP) on receipt by designated returning officers.
The implementation of these changes by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and their overall legal-based conduct of the elections are deserving of rich commendations. It is noteworthy that GECOM has been praised for delivering what the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) describes as one of the ‘most transparent, credible, and professionally managed elections’ in Guyana’s modern history.
It is also significant that in preparation for the 2025 National and Regional Elections, UNDP offered valuable human resources; professionals came into Guyana and worked thoroughly to prepare for the holding of free and fair elections.
The PPP/C Government, with a sincere concern for highly credible elections, also provided all the necessary support for UNDP experts and technical staff to work along with the GECOM secretariat in preparation for the 2025 elections.
With the technical assistance from UNDP and funding support from the United Kingdom, GECOM was able to implement a series of reforms and develop a powerful system for a successful, orderly, and peaceful election.
The UNDP’s involvement in Guyana is part of its global expertise in supporting numerous countries around the world. Significantly, UNDP technical staff was able to guide, develop and prepare a fool-proof communication system resulting in an effective and clear communications strategy and a branding manual along with the Crisis Communication Protocol to ensure clearer, timelier and more consistent public information dissemination.
For the 2025 elections, a media code of conduct and a media policy were also introduced to guide responsible coverage of the electoral process. Highly successful was the training of more than one hundred journalists who were trained on electoral law, procedures, and ethical reporting to strengthen accuracy and fairness in media coverage.
Additionally, civic and very effective voter education campaigns were rolled out across the country. The voters’ education took into consideration our demographic and geographic diversity, including youths, women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The PPP/C, as the incumbent, were very open and proud of their achievements. The explanation and talk of achievements and promise were open to verified information.
GECOM was able to train and prepare 13,925 polling officials, while the preparation of 2,790 polling stations was securely procured, verified, and distributed under strict oversight by polling party agents. Election Day activities went smoothly because of GECOM’s thorough preparation. Further, the local and international observers were very visible. The polling agents must also be complimented. Mere words are not enough to praise all the highly responsible Guyanese who participated directly and indirectly in making sure that the “accurate Statements of Polls” were available in the most transparent way.
Election Day activities went smoothly because of GECOM’s thorough preparation. The local and international observers were very visible. The polling agents and all responsible Guyanese were essential in ensuring that the “accurate Statements of Polls” were available in the most transparent way.
Today, as Guyanese prepare to celebrate a joyous Christmas, the nation welcomes PEACE! President Dr Irfaan Ali, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, and the winning PPP/C must continue to make our country the pride of the Caribbean.