GEORGETOWN – The integrity of Guyana’s election management body has been devastatingly questioned by the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), which yesterday warned that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is structurally “incapable of guaranteeing free, fair, and credible elections.”
FGM is demanding that the flawed, politicized structure of the Commission be completely abandoned and replaced with a professional, independent body. FGM Leader Amanza Walton Desir asserted that the current crisis is not about the personalities of the commissioners but the foundational failure of the institution itself.
She cited the Chairperson’s recent admission that GECOM is “not duly constituted” and emphasized that this latest deadlock proves the system is inherently unstable. Desir stressed that the current model, which requires consensus from highly partisan political nominees, “collapses under disagreement,” leading to the “inevitable breakdown of a system built on political control rather than institutional independence.”
FGM argues that the politicized structure, originally intended as a temporary compromise, is fundamentally obsolete. The presence of three distinct opposition parties in the new Parliament makes the traditional two-party-based structure of GECOM irrelevant and unable to function effectively.
Desir delivered a powerful warning about the consequences of relying on this unstable foundation: “No road, bridge, or skyscraper can replace trust in our institutions. If elections are not fair, then everything built on them… rests on shaky ground.”
FGM used the moment to call for urgent constitutional reform, insisting that cosmetic changes, such as merely replacing old commissioners with new party appointees, would only “repeat the cycle.” The group is advocating for a truly independent electoral body, modeled after best practices in the Caribbean, such as Jamaica’s Electoral Commission, which is recognized for its insulation from political influence.
Despite facing court-imposed costs intended to discourage legal challenges, FGM reaffirmed that its ongoing legal fights are “principled” attempts to restore legality and transparency. Desir concluded with a challenge to the new Parliament: “Guyana deserves the same. We can have nice things too, but we, the Guyanese people, must insist.”
