By: Javone Vickerie
Georgetown, Guyana – September 4, 2025 – The first day of the Region Four recount progressed with drama as shouting matches broke out inside the tabulation center over ballots that some party agents argued should have been rejected as spoiled. The disputes grew so heated that the process had to be temporarily paused while GECOM officials stepped in to restore calm.
At the center of the row were ballots that had already been counted as valid votes. Agents for opposing parties protested, saying markings on some of the ballots, such as the “X” being placed partly outside the designated box, meant they should have been deemed spoiled. “You cannot call this a valid vote when the mark is outside the box,” one visibly frustrated agent argued, as voices rose around the room. For several minutes, the recount came to a standstill as officials tried to mediate.
Government-appointed GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj, however, brushed aside the disputes when he spoke to reporters outside. He stressed that the recount of 391 boxes from the East Coast of Demerara had so far produced no “significant change” in the results that were already declared. “There may be one here or one there where a question was asked, but by and large there has been no significant change. Unless something cataclysmic occurs, and I don’t see that happening, these results will not change in any significant way,” he said.
Gunraj even suggested the recount was less about uncovering problems and more about politics. “While their agents are present, you are seeing no real interest from their leaders, no senior members, no candidates. It therefore begs the question whether this is indeed a delaying tactic to frustrate the electorate and the nation as a whole,” he charged.
Still, inside the center the tension was palpable, with party supporters anxiously following every development. For them, each ballot held symbolic weight, a sign of whether their voice would truly count.
GECOM later confirmed that 77 boxes from Region Five will also be recounted following an APNU request. Similar requests for Region Eight and for the entirety of Region Four from WIN were rejected because they did not meet the legal requirements.
Gunraj maintained that the process will continue until all boxes are counted but insisted the outcome will not be altered. “This process is significant, but it is delaying the inevitable. The results are clear,” he said.
