GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – A war of words is unfolding between the People’s Progressive Party and the opposition as concerns mount over the transparency of the upcoming 2025 General and Regional Elections. At the centre of the debate are PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo and GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander, each accusing the other side of undermining the electoral process.
Jagdeo, in a press conference on Thursday, pointed squarely at the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNCR), claiming that the only real threat to free and fair elections in Guyana comes from the opposition party.
“If there is ever a threat to holding free and fair elections at GECOM from anyone, it would be the PNC cabal,” he asserted. “In the five months [after the 2020 elections], that cabal sought to support the rigging, and that cabal is already seeking to undermine the preparations for the [2025] elections. They will not succeed.”
His comments came in response to a letter written by Alexander, an opposition-nominated Commissioner at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), who voiced alarm over what he described as a lack of urgency by the electoral body in preparing for the 2025 polls, scheduled for September 1.
In his letter, published last Friday, Alexander questioned GECOM’s commitment to fairness and transparency, stating, “GECOM never mentions free, fair and transparent elections in its mantra of readiness.” He also raised red flags over administrative delays and procedural gaps that he believes could compromise the credibility of the process.
But Jagdeo pushed back, accusing Alexander of fueling doubt ahead of the elections in an attempt to create a pretext for political disruption. He argued that those same claims were used to justify what he described as attempts to rig the 2020 elections and that the same pattern is now repeating.
The clash has extended beyond electoral logistics and into the sensitive issue of voter registration, particularly in indigenous communities.
Alexander has raised concerns about the legal framework that allows Toshaos—indigenous village leaders—to vouch for individuals born in remote areas so they can obtain birth certificates, which are necessary to register to vote. He warned that this process could be exploited by non-citizens, especially in border areas, allowing foreign nationals to fraudulently obtain Guyanese documentation.
Jagdeo rejected that claim outright, calling it an attack on indigenous Guyanese who have lived in these communities for their entire lives but have struggled for decades to navigate a system that often fails to reach remote areas.
“When a child is born in some of these villages, the child doesn’t get registered,” he explained. “They’re living all their lives in Guyana, some of them are even working for the Government and they don’t have a birth certificate. They were born in our country and lived their whole lives here, but because their mother or father couldn’t register them in a village, say Baramita or somewhere else… they are our people, not people coming from Venezuela.”
For Jagdeo, the objection isn’t just technical, it’s personal. He framed it as an attempt to deny indigenous citizens their rights based on a long-standing failure of the state to provide adequate registration services in hinterland areas.
Alexander, meanwhile, has remained firm in his position that robust verification is essential to prevent electoral fraud, especially in border regions where migration pressures remain high.
