Carter Center concerned over ongoing impasse at Guyana Elections Commission

The Carter Center, which has been observing elections in Guyana since 1992, is urging officials in Guyana to implement the recommendations from its final report on the 2025 elections, and to also work towards resolving the impasse at the Guyana Elections Commission. In a statement this morning, the Carter Center said it notes with "considerable concern", the current impasse surrounding the composition of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The Guyana Elections Commission has not met since last September's General Elections. The Opposition nominated Commissioners have accused the GECOM Chairman, retired Justice Claudette Singh of refusing to convene a meeting of the Commission. The Carter Center noted that without a fully functioning commission, GECOM will be unable to organize local government elections by the statutory deadline this year, and will be unable to implement reforms to strengthen electoral processes in adequate time before Guyana’s next General and Regional Elections. The Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, has been calling on the current GECOM Commissioners who were nominated by a previous Opposition Leader to offer their resignations. However, the Commissioners have maintained that while they were nominated by a previous Opposition Leader, they are now Commissioners and are therefore holders of a Constitutional post. The Carter Center said it welcomes the statement by the Attorney General following the elections acknowledging the need to amend the Constitutional Reform Act (2022) to reflect the current configuration of parliamentary political parties. The Center made that recommendation in its report and encourages the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform to take action as quickly as possible. The Carter Center reminded that it has long championed the need for constitutional reform to ensure Guyana’s electoral system and institutions better serve its people. "It is critical that this process be appropriately inclusive and representative", the Center noted. Two months ago, representatives of the Carter Center visited Guyana and met with President Irfaan Ali and members of his Cabinet, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and a broad range of stakeholders, including other opposition political parties, GECOM, the Constitutional Reform Commission, the Ethnic Relations Commission, leaders from the private sector and civil society, citizens interested in electoral reform, and members of the international community. Those discussions, the Carter Center noted, provided an important opportunity to exchange views on strengthening and advancing Guyana’s democratic institutions, with many of the conversations focused on several priority areas identified in the Center’s final report, including reform of election management bodies, the development of comprehensive campaign finance legislation, efforts to improve the media environment, expanding civil society, and measures to enhance transparency and public confidence in the voters’ list.