Guyana experienced a polling day that was monitored and conducted at large with 2,790 polling stations and an official voter registry of 757,690 names with the Carter Center mission stating in a preliminary assessment that it found no evidence of list manipulation nor any significant voting irregularities. The observers visited 234 polling stations and 17 counting centers and reported that 97 percent of their reports confirm that the count is conducted according to the law. The process is cumbersome but transparent which gives confidence in the final results, at the same time pointing out the importance of greater openness around government contracts and the fact that elections are only a gauge and that strengthening institutions and the conversation on constitutional reform between elections is at least as important.
The statements published by the Electoral Commission show a clear lead for the incumbent PPP/C which, according to the counts, brought in 55.3 percent of all valid votes good for over 242,000 votes, putting it 133,432 votes ahead. Six parties participated and three formations gained the bulk of support namely PPP/C APNU and newcomer WIN. The ruling party gained ground in several regions, winning in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, in Region Four where APNU traditionally scored above half and peaked in 2015 in coalition with AFC the statement now records 48.4 percent for PPP/C good for 87,536 votes while WIN fetches 23 percent or 41,607 votes and APNU comes out at 25.97 percent or 46,965 votes. In Region Ten, the shift is even sharper with 49.7 percent for WIN 25.38 percent for APNU and 20.27 percent for PPP/C which is an improvement over 2020 when the ruling party there reached 13.9 percent.
APNU is contesting parts of the count and called for a recount in sub-district 4 on the East Coast Demerara within Electoral District Four that has been assigned and is starting with 25 work stations while observers remain in the country to monitor the counts so that the completion of the process can be viewed publicly and confidence in the outcome is borne out by visible rules. That is exactly the moment when a young oil economy links democratic routine with measurable procedures so that numbers, seats and regions as a whole are accurate.
