Guyana Opposition Leader seeks international aid to end GECOM impasse

Guyana’s Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, has appealed to the international community to help resolve a nearly year-long dispute regarding the composition of the seven-member Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The impasse centers on the refusal of three commissioners associated with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)—Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin, and Desmond Trotman—to resign. The opposition argues that the commission must be restructured to reflect current parliamentary representation, which now includes the main opposition party with 16 seats (comprising 12 seats for APNU and 1 seat for the Forward Guyana Movement). The commissioners maintain that constitutional requirements do not mandate their removal despite changes in the National Assembly.

In a briefing note sent to the United Nations, CARICOM, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Carter Center, the Opposition Leader’s Office called for international partners to monitor developments, support constitutional reform, and protect the independence and transparency of Guyana’s electoral institutions. GECOM has not met for several months, and local government elections are scheduled for later this year.