OAS lauds peaceful, orderly conduct of Guyana’s elections

The Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observer Mission has commended Guyana on what it has described as a peaceful and orderly conduct of Monday’s General and Regional Elections.

“We want to begin by commending you on the peaceful and orderly conduct of Monday’s general and regional elections,” Head of the OAS-EOM, Bruce Golding, said in a preliminary video statement today.

“We saw firsthand the civic commitment of the Guyanese people, the professionalism of the poll workers, and the hard work of the police officers, party agents, and electoral officials. It is through these efforts that this election was conducted in such a peaceful and orderly manner, and we applaud you all.”

Golding, a former Prime Minister of Jamaica, led the 27-member OAS-EOM to monitor the 2025 General and Regional Elections in Guyana held on September 1.

Comprised 27 experts and observers from 18 countries, the OAS observers were present in seven of the country’s 10 regions, and followed the entire process from the opening of the polling stations all the way through the counting and tabulation of results.

“On election day, we saw a steady and calm voting process. While areas for improvement to the process remain, and while voter participation was lower than in previous years, the rules governing the electoral process were generally respected in the polling locations visited by the members of the mission,” Golding stated.

However, while the OAS Chief Observer lauded the uploading of the Statements of Poll (SoPs) to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) website, he cited the delays in getting these documents published in a timely manner.

“This delay,” he noted, “…meant that operators had to continue scanning documents into the night and the next day. We recognize and commend the electoral authorities for the improvement they have made to this process, which support transparency. At the same time, it would be beneficial to identify ways in which the statements of poll could be published more speedily.”

In his preliminary report, the OAS Chief Observer went onto commend the Guyana’s government officials and electoral authorities for their commitment to and support for democracy.

While here, the OAS mission had “very constructive dialogue” with electoral authorities, government officials, political parties, civil society organisations, and the international community, among others. Golding said this wide-ranging engagement allowed the mission to gain diverse perspectives on the context and organisation of the elections, as well as the overall electoral framework.

These engagements, coupled with the mission’s observations and analyses, will help the OAS-EOM in crafting a detailed final report, which will outline their findings and recommendations to help enhance Guyana’s democratic system.

“We sincerely hope that these recommendations, particularly those that have been made before by different OAS missions, will be seriously considered by the competent authorities. We believe strongly that their implementation will contribute to strengthening future electoral processes and, ultimately, democracy in the country.”

“To the people of Guyana, we want to express our deepest admiration for your commitment to democracy. We saw firsthand your peaceful participation and your patience in exercising your civic duty. It is this spirit that is the true foundation of a strong nation,” Golding stated.

Meanwhile, the OAS mission will continue to monitor the electoral process including the recounts that were done for parts of Regions Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Five (Mahaica-Berbice), reaffirming that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has won those two districts and has emerged with a landslide victory at this year’s polls.

GECOM is expected to formally declare the 2025 elections results later tonight.

The deployment of the 2025 OAS-EOM was financed with contributions from the governments of Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Morocco, Peru, Spain, and the United States of America.