GEORGETOWN – The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has declared the 2025 General and Regional Elections “peaceful, credible, and transparent,” and insisting that the final results “reflect the will of the electorate.” But the sweeping praise now stands in bold contrast to the more cautious, and in some cases pointed, observations made by international monitoring teams who flagged procedural inconsistencies, gaps in communication, and persistent concerns about the politicization of Guyana’s elections machinery.
In what the PSC calls its largest and most sophisticated observation effort ever, the Commission deployed nearly 150 trained observers across eight regions, supported by a full-time coordination center that operated for days around the clock. According to Chairman Captain Gerald Gouveia (Jr.), the mission found no major irregularities, no credible threats to the process, and no evidence that the final tabulation deviated from voter intent. Polls opened on time. Staff were prepared. Party agents from the PPP/C, APNU, and WIN were present in strength. And GECOM, the PSC says, handled counting and recounts with “professionalism and discipline.”
But this sharply upbeat verdict sits alongside international reports that, while not rejecting the results, painted a more nuanced picture. The Carter Center highlighted concerns about uneven access to information, inconsistent polling-place layouts that affected secrecy of the ballot, and lingering issues stemming from GECOM’s heavily politicized structure. The OAS noted that the tabulation process worked, but stressed that Guyana still struggles with public distrust, gaps in communication, and a need for deeper electoral reform. EU observers previously described Guyana’s elections environment as “functional but fragile,” urging systematic modernization.
Against that backdrop, the PSC’s confident endorsement has raised eyebrows, especially since its report sounded far more definitive than those from traditional international watchdogs.
Still, the PSC acknowledged that the system requires improvements. It flagged the need for standardized polling-booth layouts, better accessibility for persons with disabilities, stronger public messaging from GECOM, and upgrades to the digital publication of Statements of Poll. It also called for a national conversation about reforming GECOM’s governance structure to reduce political deadlock, one of the same issues international observers have repeatedly urged Guyana to confront.
Where the PSC stands out most is in its framing: while foreign missions spoke of strengthening credibility, the PSC declared that credibility had already been achieved. Where international teams urged reforms to build trust, the PSC emphasized that trust was already earned on Election Day.
Even so, the Commission praised all stakeholders, voters, GECOM, the Joint Services, party agents, the media, and observers, for contributing to what it called a demonstration of “democratic maturity and institutional resilience.”
The elections may be over, but the differing interpretations of how the process actually performed will continue to shape Guyana’s political discourse. And as reforms are debated in the months ahead, the gap between the PSC’s confident endorsement and the more measured assessments from international observers will likely remain part of that national conversation.
