GS Jagdeo slams opposition’s elections delay tactics

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has criticised the opposition for their attempts to delay the upcoming 2025 elections through sustained calls for additional procedural adjustments.

During his weekly press conference at Freedom House, the GS emphasised that the government wants the elections to be held on time in 2025.

He said the opposition appears to be unprepared for the elections, implying they may seek to delay the elections to their advantage.

This comes in light of their calls for biometrics which would include a new house-to-house registration process that would delay the elections planned for 2025. Dr Jagdeo recalled the chaos that ensued during the 2020 elections, during which time attempts were made to rig the elections in favour of the then A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU\AFC) government.

This catastrophic saga served to strengthen the PPP/C government’s resolve to defend, preserve and protect democracy in Guyana. Dr Jagdeo underscored that in the wake of this debacle, it is imperative that the 2025 elections be held when they are constitutionally due.

“We don’t want extra time; we want elections held on schedule, with international observers, and we want all ineligible names removed from the lists. We want political parties to deploy robust polling agents in each polling place. We want full compliance with the new ROPA. We want the statements of poll published before the tabulation. All of that is in place now,” he explained.

Addressing the opposition’s call for biometrics, Dr Jagdeo pointed out that biometric systems are already in place at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“The fingerprints we all had to give to GECOM are biometrics. The folio contains a picture next to each voter’s name, so when you go to the polling place, they can see your picture and verify your identity. Essentially, they’re asking for biometrics when we already have them. Perhaps they misunderstand what biometrics are,” the GS suggested.

He continued, “They want to do fingerprinting again, which would take six to eight months. By then, GECOM should be ready. In fact, they should have been ready by March 2^nd because that’s when the last elections were held. I set August as the deadline because that’s when the President was sworn in, but by that time, GECOM should be able to tell the President he can call elections whenever he wishes. They’re hoping to kill that timeline.”

However, he recognised that GECOM may need enhanced biometrics. At a recent press conference, Dr Jagdeo said that the government is not opposed to enhanced biometrics at polling stations; however, it must not be used as a tool to disenfranchise voters at the polling place.