Georgetown, Guyana – September 11, 2025 – The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) has fired off a formal request to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), pressing for full disclosure on the registration and participation of Commonwealth citizens in the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
In a letter addressed to GECOM Chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, FGM Leader Amanza Walton-Desir demanded detailed statistics and legal clarification on how Commonwealth nationals were allowed to take part in the polls.
Among the information requested were the total number of registered voters who qualified as Commonwealth citizens resident and domiciled in Guyana, a breakdown of those voters by country of origin including India, Bangladesh, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, and other Commonwealth states, the number of Commonwealth citizens who actually voted disaggregated by country of origin, the statutory or regulatory provisions that allowed their registration and participation, and copies of internal guidelines, directives, or circulars GECOM may have issued to staff about the registration and verification of such voters.
“The integrity of our electoral system depends on clarity, transparency, and accountability,” Walton-Desir stated. “Guyanese citizens must be assured that their democratic will is not frustrated or diluted by the participation of foreign nationals. The people of Guyana deserve to know under what authority Commonwealth citizens were registered and how their participation was administered.”
The party stressed that its request was not limited to numbers alone, but also extended to supporting documentation to ensure full transparency. GECOM was given 14 days to respond, or to provide a written explanation if it cannot meet the request in full.
FGM also circulated copies of the letter to GECOM Commissioners and international observer missions, including the European Union, the OAS, the Commonwealth Secretariat, CARICOM, and the Carter Center, raising the stakes for what it has framed as a matter of national and international concern.
The intervention comes amid heightened scrutiny of Guyana’s 2025 elections, which, though praised for being peaceful, have faced criticism over the abuse of incumbency and questions about the system’s credibility.
For Walton-Desir and FGM, shedding light on the participation of Commonwealth citizens is now a test of GECOM’s transparency and its commitment to protecting the integrity of the vote.
