Guyana Voters Still Waiting On Election Results

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. Sept. 3, 2025: Two days after Guyanese voters in the oil rich CARICOM, South American nation went to the polls in a high-stakes general and regional election, official results have yet to be declared, even as nearly all polling statements have been posted on the world wide web.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) site on Tuesday night showed that 98 percent of Statements of Poll (SOPs) are now uploaded, with only Region 7 lagging behind. About 70 SOPs remain outstanding from that district.

A man casts his ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Georgetown on September 1, 2025. Guyana voted Monday to decide who will manage the South American nation’s newfound oil riches and navigate rising tensions in a territorial dispute with neighbor Venezuela. (Photo by Joaquin SARMIENTO / AFP) (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

This comes as the incumbent party, the People Progressive Party/Civic, has all but declared itself the winner of the elections, claiming tabulation of SOPS showing it is winning in all except two regions. The We Invest In Nationhood, (WIN), party, founded just three plus months ago by US sanctioned, billionaire businessman Azruddin Mohamed, seems to have upstaged the opposition A Partnership for National Unity, (APNU), led by Aubrey Norton, as well as attorney Nigel Hughes of the Alliance For Change (AFC); Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement, and former minister Dr. Simona Broomes of the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity, (ALP).

WIN is projected to have won at least two districts and hence could become the nation’s main opposition party. But for now, GECOM is urging patience.

Call for Campaign Finance Reform

Meanwhile, even as votes are still being tabulated, the head of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Election Observer Mission, Josephine Tamai, has called for regional laws to prevent incumbent governments from using state resources to campaign.

“There should be a cut-off point when an election is called, so that persons who are still basically involved don’t have access to these resources, because they actually belong to the people of the country,” Tamai was quoted by Demerara Waves as saying.

She said her mission received reports of state assets, including helicopters, being used for campaign purposes, and promised the issue would be addressed in the mission’s final report. President Irfaan Ali of the ruling (PPP/C) has been criticized for using Guyana Defence Force aircraft while simultaneously urging voters to support his party.

The United States-based Carter Center has also raised concerns about the blurred lines between governance and campaigning. PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, however, has defended the practice, saying governments are entitled to highlight their achievements.

GECOM Pushes Back Against Criticism

Meanwhile, GECOM has issued a strongly worded statement rejecting what it called attempts by civil society groups to “undermine the integrity” of the September 1st vote.

Responding to a document circulated by the Guyana Human Rights Association, (GHRA), and other organizations, the Commission insisted that all voters met statutory requirements, including Commonwealth nationals living in Guyana for at least one year.

“It is abundantly clear that the use of the term ‘foreign voters’ is a connotation that persons of foreign origin were covertly inserted as voters in the Official List of Electors,” GECOM said. “Every entry met the statutory requirements for inclusion.”

The Commission also defended its issuance of national ID cards to eligible Commonwealth citizens, saying the practice has been in place for more than two decades.

The election will determine control of 65 parliamentary seats and 10 regional councils in the oil-rich South American nation. For now, GECOM is urging patience and warning that only results published on its official website or by returning officers should be considered valid.