April 17, 2025

Georgetown, Guyana
For immediate release to all media houses

PRESS RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENTS FROM AFC’S APRIL 17 PRESS CONFERENCE

AFC gravely concerned at the non-implementation of the recommendations of the International observer missions to Guyana’s national and regional elections 2020

The Alliance For Change- (AFC) continues to be gravely concerned that as Guyana rapidly approaches the 2025 elections, the Guyana Elections Commission appears uninterested in implementing the key recommendations of the international observer missions which included the Carter Centre, the Organisation of American States – the OAS, the European Union (EU), the Commonwealth to name a few as outlined in their final reports.

These fundamental recommendations were well articulated at the time and recommended to ensure that the challenges and errors of the 2020 elections debacle would not be repeated . That with improvements in the systems at GECOM Guyanese citizens would be confident in the organisation’s ability to deliver free and fair elections to the people of Guyana.

It is important to recall some of these recommendations:
The OAS, Carter Centre, and EU observer missions all called for a comprehensive reform of the voter registration system. The undertaking of a house-to-house registration process at the earliest opportunity on completion of the 2020 election and
a thorough update of the decades old voters register well ahead of the next election cycle based on inclusive consultations and political consensus. This has not been done.

The Commonwealth and EU went further to highlight the urgent need for electoral and constitutional reform to address polarization of the nation including the merits and demerits of the Elections Commission and the electoral system.

The OAS, Carter Centre and European Union all highlighted the importance of the use of technology to ensure timely release and publication of results and the need for clear

written procedures for the transmission and tabulation of results to ensure consistency and traceability and the possibility for all authorised stakeholders to examine SOP’s.

Objections to the use of private residents as polling stations, the need for campaign finance regulation, regular engagement by Gecom with stakeholders, technology to assist in the identification of persons at the place of poll were all recommendations that GECOM to date has not informed this nation that they have examined at all. This was clearly highlighted at the meeting the AFC’s requested with GECOM – its Chair and Commissioners.

A week ago the Alliance For Change met with representatives from the EU elections Exploratory mission who confirmed that out of their 26 recommendations only two have been implemented five years later. The Alliance For Change has heard nothing from GECOM since our meeting with regards to the several concerns raised and continues to raise the alarm that GECOM seems ready to go forward to the 2025 elections which much of the previous errors and challenges unresolved.
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AFC Statement on Mining

The Alliance for Change (AFC) commends the Ministry of Natural Resources, specifically the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on its reform measures to contain gold smuggling and money laundering in Guyana. The AFC fully supports that respect for the rule of law is priority.
The AFC however, has concerns into several practices of the government of Guyana and its agencies specifically to that of the GGMC with regards to implementation of key aspects of mining laws and regulations and that of common law resulting from court judgements.

• The ongoing delay in issuance of gold trade licenses must also have a system that supports gold traders and especially the employees of these establishment as they have their families to support and therefore GGMC must have an interim response to meet these needs and situation; Guyana’s economy also needs to be secured.
• There are numerous reports of legal claims of small miners being revoked and reissued to bigger miners. This is posing a challenge to the small miners who are also trying to support their livelihoods and this goes for both indigenous persons and non indigenous.

• We call for transparent disclosure into the criteria being used in the reallocation of mining concessions as we need to ensure that there is equality in access to the use of the natural resources of Guyana and also that there is a system that ensures that effective monitoring of mining activities takes place with regards to environmental protection and human rights.
• We have witnessed how the government agencies, specifically GGMC lack of respect towards court judgements and this is specific to the Akawaios and Arecunas of the Upper Mazaruni.

• In December, 2022, a judgement made recognizing the aboriginal land rights of Indigenous Peoples and also called for government agencies to consult with and seek the consent of the Akawaios and Arecunas of the Upper Mazaruni on anything related to the issuance of land or concessions to any third party. Jawalla Village today is facing the lack of GGMC’s respect for court judgements and lack of implementing its role in ensuring that natural resource extraction also respects environmental and human rights protections as it applies to Indigenous Peoples.

• We call on GGMC and by extension the government of Guyana to respect the right to free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. We also recognize that persons have invested and need to be supported in their investment and capital, but this must not take place at the blatant disregard to environment and human rights protections.

We call on the government of Guyana to respect Indigenous Peoples rights to healthy waterways and ecosystems that is needed to have thriving cultures.
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