Irfaan aliPresident Dr. Irfaan Ali criticized the Eur Observation Mission’s (EU-EOM) final report on Guyana’s 2025 General and Regional Elections, saying that the assessment failed to provide meaningful analysis and relied on subjective, biased interpretations. The report, issued on Tuesday, acknowledged the overall management of the September 1 polls but also highlighted political polarization, media imbalance, and incumbency advantages as factors contributing to what it called an uneven electoral environment.
During a live broadcast on Wednesday, Dr. Ali addressed the issue and rejected the suggestion that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) gained unfair structural advantages during the campaign. He emphasized that the party’s focus on highlighting its achievements is normal for a government seeking re-election. According to the President, the mission failed to understand the political context and electoral norms typical in democratic systems. He argued that “highlighting the government’s achievements was nothing unusual for an incumbency seeking re-election” and stated that the EU-EOM overlooked “essential context” when forming its conclusions.
While the EU-EOM stated that the elections were “peaceful and well-run,” Chief Observer Robert Biedron argued that the process occurred amid “deep political polarization” and pointed to what the mission described as “an uneven playing field and undue advantage by incumbency.” Dr. Ali questioned the credibility of these findings, suggesting that the composition of the observer team may have influenced his perception of biased outcomes. He claimed that the organization must apply stricter scrutiny when hiring personnel to conduct assessments on the ground, alleging that some individuals involved held or were associated with overt political stances.
The President stated that this connection raises questions about the report’s neutrality and may have influenced its conclusions. He claimed, “If you go through some of the staff that were hired in this process by the EU, their own staff that influenced the outcome of the report, you would have to question those persons’ independence because they’re associated with, or are in association with, persons who would have expressed partisan positions on many issues.” Describing parts of the report as inadequate, he also argued that sections “lacked analysis,” asserting that methodological flaws diminished the document’s overall value.
Dr. Ali also criticized the report for ignoring ongoing national efforts to strengthen the country’s electoral and constitutional systems. He emphasized that his administration had already committed to modernizing election-related laws well before the 2025 elections. He said, “We said, the process of enhancing the laws, the process of modernizing the laws for elections and advancing these laws would be part of the ongoing constitutional reform long before the elections.” According to him, although the EU-EOM met with government officials during their initial visits, the final report failed to acknowledge ongoing reform initiatives and instead offered conclusions disconnected from current legislative efforts. He argued, “Nowhere in the report points to the fact that there is an ongoing constitutional reform process…the analytical aspect of this statement points to the inexperience and points to the fact that it has no basis in reality.”
Another key point of disagreement was the mission’s stance on media bias. The EU-EOM expressed concerns about inconsistencies in media coverage and suggested that government-aligned outlets disproportionately supported the ruling party. Dr. Ali dismissed this as misleading, arguing that private media had consistently taken an adversarial stance. He said, “We have statistics to show that there are many private media entities that were 80 percent negative against the People’s Progressive Party Civic, some 90 percent negative. So, it is not in favor of the ruling party. That’s… not the case.”
Although criticizing the report’s analysis, Dr. Ali reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to democratic values and electoral transparency. He emphasized that several international observer groups confirmed the elections’ credibility, noting that Election Day went smoothly and without issues. As he explained, “The report points to the fact that the elections were peaceful, well run, but that was how they described Election Day. Elections were peaceful, calm, and orderly.”
The EU deployed about 50 observers across the country. Its report acknowledged improvements in transparency, particularly the real-time online publication of Statements of Poll, which the mission highlighted as a major step forward in traceability and confidence-building efforts. The final report has been sent to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for additional review.
While defending the integrity of the election process, the President expressed gratitude for the EU’s involvement and said his administration remains open to collaboration. However, he called for a re-evaluation of how observation missions gather and analyze information in politically complex environments. He concluded, “We look forward to continuing our work with the European Union and the electoral observation commission as we work towards building a stronger and more resilient electoral system here in Guyana, as we want to see all across the world.”
However, it is fair to say that EU countries should first address their own issues before criticizing Guyana and others. Candidates from right-wing and far-right parties in EU elections have been accused of, or even convicted of, misusing public funds or accepting bribes from foreign nations to win elections.