In a properly functioning democracy such as the one Guyana officially upholds, the three arms of state namely: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary are allowed to function independently. Further, autonomous and semi-autonomous agencies are allowed to operate without interference from the executive. But according to Vincent Alexander, this is not the state of affairs in Guyana.
Alexander, a sitting commissioner on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), claims the executive has been able to stretch its controlling arms over to the legislature and agencies such as GECOM.
Alexander made his concerns known in a letter penned to the media. He claims that given the non-adherence to the provisions of the Constitution by the Government of Guyana and state agencies, the Government may well be termed “rogue.” He went further to say that the state can be qualified as “failing.”
Alexander, a commissioner with ties to the People’s National Congress Reform and its offspring party, A Partnership for National Unity, identified GECOM as one of the agencies under the control of the “rogue” People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government.
He penned that, as of September 7, 2025, the Commission has been made “deliberately comatose” by the Chairperson, Justice Retired Claudette Singh; adding that the Administration with her fiat has usurped the authority of the Commission.
Alexander went into detail about Singh’s handling of matters relating to Budget 2025, most of which he stated before and deems unlawful.
Then Alexander noted, “worse yet” that, Singh facilitated actions that are the preserve of the Commission including the preparation and submission of budgetary estimates for 2026, which should provide for the year`s programme of work, which should be initiated and finalized by the Commission; and the determination of staff matters that are the purview of the Commission, including large financial outlays; inter alia.
He said too that statutory activities, such as the evaluation of the election have not been undertaken, “yet decisions which should be outputs of an evaluation have been made and executed.”
Further, he said that no known attention has been paid to the myriad recommendations of the observer missions and outstanding agenda matters, in the preparation of the budget/annual work programme, in the absence of the Commission`s input.
Alexander said that the damning allegations contained in his letter are but a “glimpse of the usurpation taking place at GECOM under the rogue regime, and comatose state that has befallen GECOM, very much mirroring the manner of conduct of the affairs of the State, a la the Legislature`s similar state of comatose.”
