THE Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to Guyana’s 2025 General and Regional Elections met on Tuesday with Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, members of his Executive Leadership Team, and other senior officers at the Guyana Police Force headquarters, Eve Leary, as preparations intensify for polling day on September 1.
The mission is led by former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding and comprises 27 experts and observers drawn from 18 countries, according to the OAS.

The OAS said its observer team will engage government officials, electoral authorities, political parties and candidates, civil society, and other stakeholders to gather perspectives on the electoral process.

Such meetings are standard in OAS deployments and are aimed at assessing readiness, transparency measures, and the overall security environment before and during voting.
The engagement with the police leadership comes as election logistics and security planning ramp up nationwide.
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has reported an 83 per cent turnout in last Friday’s advance balloting by the Disciplined Services—a key operational step designed to free police, soldiers, and prison officers for duty on election day without disenfranchising them.

GECOM described the process as smooth and among the highest participation rates in recent cycles.
The OAS mission is one of several international observer teams invited to bolster confidence in the process. The Commonwealth has deployed an 11-member Observer Group chaired by former Tongan Foreign Affairs Minister Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu; the group is already on the ground and engaging stakeholders ahead of polling.

As the OAS EOM proceeds with briefings and site assessments this week, its preliminary statement is expected shortly after election day, followed by a comprehensive report with recommendations to further strengthen Guyana’s electoral framework.