Georgetown, Guyana – August 25, 2025 – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is investigating irregularities involving short and extra ballots discovered after last Friday’s Disciplined Forces vote, Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud confirmed on Monday.
Persaud explained that while the Joint Services balloting was largely smooth and compliant with electoral laws, the sorting process revealed discrepancies. “We had two extra ballots in District Four, and one ballot short each in Districts Five and Ten,” he said. These ballots were part of the votes cast by members of the Police and Army, which are later mixed with ordinary ballots on Election Day.
The CEO emphasized that the situation has been carefully probed. “Our interrogation of this matter has led us to a point where we have zoned in on what could have caused this problem,” Persaud said. He confirmed that a detailed memo with recommendations is being submitted to the Commission for review. The Commission is expected to meet Tuesday afternoon to decide on the next steps. Until then, Persaud declined to share the recommendations publicly, citing professional protocol.
Despite these issues, Persaud noted that turnout among the disciplined forces was 83 percent, which he described as encouraging. He also stressed that GECOM’s wider preparations remain on track. “We are currently engaged in packaging ballot boxes for Election Day. This is being done region by region, with the constant involvement of party agents who observe every step,” he explained.
Transparency, he added, remains the guiding principle. Breaks in the packaging process are timed and communicated in advance, and party agents are present when work resumes. “All of this is done to ensure stakeholders are adequately informed and involved,” Persaud said.
For many voters, especially those watching the process closely ahead of Election Day, the revelation of ballot imbalances may cause concern. However, the Elections Commission is moving to address the issue before it escalates, with Persaud assuring that corrective measures will be fully considered by the Commission before the general public is updated.
