The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party has expressed serious concerns regarding the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for allegedly not approving any of its polling agents for Election Day, citing late submissions as the reason.
In a statement released on Facebook, WIN candidate Duarte Hetsberger explained that the party received an email from GECOM on Tuesday regarding the submission of names for polling agents. Despite responding promptly, he claimed the party was later informed that the deadline had been missed. Hetsberger argued that the notice from GECOM was issued late.
“But what is at stake here is much bigger than a deadline,” he stated. “GECOM itself has been late—not just by one or two days. They have delayed the opening of proxy applications, the gazetting of polling stations, which by law was due 20 days before elections, and in some cases, they were late in issuing notices of poll. So, how can GECOM demand perfection from political parties when they themselves repeatedly miss their own statutory deadlines?”
WIN officials contend that denying the party’s presence in polling stations on Election Day would hinder their ability to oversee the critical voting process and respond to potential issues.
Party member Natasha Singh emphasized the risks involved, stating, “If GECOM bars our polling agents, they are creating a dangerous gap, one wide enough for dishonesty and fraud to creep in. If that happens, we cannot and will not accept the results of an election process that is hidden from scrutiny. This is not just about the WIN party; this is about the Guyanese people. Every voter—WIN, another party, or no party at all—has a right to a credible, reliable, and transparent election process.”
The party has called on international observers to pay close attention to GECOM’s handling of the situation, raising existing concerns about the credibility of the entire electoral process.
WIN candidate Tabitha Sarabo-Halley highlighted that this issue goes beyond deadlines, representing a troubling pattern emerging from GECOM. “We call on GECOM not to become complicit in vote rigging and to uphold the principles they were sworn to protect. We urge every Guyanese citizen to stand with WIN and defend the right to a clean, fair, and transparent vote,” Sarabo-Halley stated.
With Election Day approaching, the WIN party has vowed to maintain pressure on GECOM to address these concerns before the polls open on September 1, 2025.
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