The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Election Observation Mission (CEOM) has commended the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for its efforts to enhance transparency in Monday’s General and Regional Elections, particularly through the introduction of the electronic transmission and public display of Statements of Poll (SOPs).
By law, GECOM is now mandated to upload all SOPs on their online platform for public viewing and access. This new measure was implemented after the March 2020 fiasco when agents of the former APNU+AFC government tried to rig the elections to stay in office.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Chief of Mission Josephine Tamai said the initiative represents a significant step in strengthening the credibility of the tabulation process.
“The CEOM commends GECOM on the legal amendments made to enhance the integrity of the tabulation process, particularly the provision for electronic transmission and public display of SOPs to ensure transmission.
“These measures are important to ensure transparency and accountability,” Tamai, who is the Chief Elections Officer of Belize, said.
The 2025 General and Regional Elections were held on September 1. The 10-member team, drawn from eight CARICOM states, visited 324 polling stations across regions 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
Tamai said the observers noticed that most polling stations opened on time, voting proceeded peacefully, and orderly and polling staff and supplies were in place.
Adequate police presence was also seen at all locations, and Tamai said there were no signs of intimidation, harassment or unlawful campaigning observed.
“While voter turnout appeared slow for significant portions of the day, polling staff remained focused on their duty ensuring all…were able to cast their ballots,” Tamai said.
Meanwhile, the mission expressed concern that some polling stations were not easily accessible for elderly and disabled persons, as they were located on upper floors.
Still, observers were satisfied that “enough safeguards were in place to prevent voter impersonation,” and found no evidence of intimidation, harassment or unlawful campaigning.
Looking ahead, the CEOM urged GECOM to continue efforts to improve the accuracy of the voters’ list.
Despite previous submissions of information, she said the mission was informed that the names of deceased persons remain on the list, raising questions about its reliability.
To address this, Tamai suggested that Guyana could consider a re-registration exercise or intensify work to remove ineligible names.
As the country awaits the results of the elections, Tamai, on behalf of the mission, called on Guyanese to remain “calm, peaceful and patient,” emphasising that the will of the people must be respected.
“Now more than ever, Guyanese should stand together and put the country first. The strength of the nation lies in its unity, resilience and commitment to the democratic process,” she said.
The mission will submit a final report with comprehensive findings and recommendations to the CARICOM Secretary-General in the coming weeks.
The post CARICOM observers commend GECOM’s transparency in release of SOPs appeared first on News Room Guyana.
