— Says conclusions ignore facts, ongoing reforms and the PPP/C’s performance-based governance

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has pushed back against several key conclusions in the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission’s final report on the 2025 General and Regional Elections, saying the document was poorly grounded, analytically weak and disconnected from the realities on the ground.
In a live address on Wednesday evening, President Ali, representing the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), commended the peaceful conduct of the elections but asserted that portions of the EU report were inadequate and “lacked analysis.”
He opened by reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. He emphasised that Guyana’s 2025 polls were “free and fair,” a sentiment echoed by numerous electoral missions observing the process.
“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,” he said.
However, President Ali raised concerns about the methodology and independence of the EU observer mission, noting, “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.”
‘LACKS ANALYSIS’ AND SPECIFIC CRITICISMS
The EU report, while positive on procedural matters, cited issues such as “an uneven playing field and undue advantage by incumbency.”
President Ali forcefully rejected these claims, calling them unfounded and rooted in complaints from political participants rather than objective observation.
He stated, “First of all, this comment is not based on any facts. It is based primarily on complaints by political participants in the elections and their affiliates.”
He went on to express frustration with the EU’s assessment: “So incumbency comes with positive and negative, but because of the performance of the People’s Progressive Party Civic government, we delivered on our commitment… That’s not an incumbency advantage. That is a commitment that the government made in its manifesto of 2020 to 2025, that the incumbent would have delivered on, and the incumbent has a duty and responsibility like any other country in the European Union.”
President Ali pointed out that many of the initiatives highlighted in the report as “advantages” had been longstanding commitments, fully documented in the government’s budget and manifesto.
“If they went back to the 2025 budget and the 2024 budget and our manifesto, they will see that every single one of the social programmes was alluded to, that we made commitments that we kept and surpassed. This report lacks analysis, because if they went back… they will see that every single one of the social programmes was alluded to,” he explained.
The president also objected to the EU’s focus on media bias, saying, “We have statistics to show that there are many private media entities that were 80% negative against the People’s Progressive Party Civic, some 90% negative. So, it is not favouring the ruling party. That’s… not the case.”
TRANSPARENCY, REFORM EFFORTS AND OMITTED CONTEXT
President Ali further noted that the EU report omitted references to ongoing constitutional reform and campaign finance modernisation.
He reminded listeners of the government’s efforts to strengthen laws and procedures related to elections, stating, “Whilst we have made advances, there’s still a number of areas that must be addressed, and we are hoping that in the constitutional reform commission… these laws would also evolve… Nowhere in the report points [s] to the fact that there is an ongoing constitutional reform process.”
Summing up his assessment, President Ali said, “The analytical aspect of this statement points to the inexperience and points to the fact that it has no basis in reality.”
President Ali directly acknowledged the EU report’s observation that “59% of polling stations lack independent access” for persons living with disabilities.
He expressed agreement with this finding and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to remedying the situation.
“That is something we have to work on. We have to work to ensure that we make it easier for persons living with disability to exercise their franchise. And part of the new building code is to ensure that all our public facilities are equipped to support persons living with disability.
“We embrace the fact that people living with disability. But I’ve highlighted some areas in the report that are subjective, partisan and completely biased… 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,” he affirmed.
Guyana’s government, under the PPP/C, maintains that the 2025 elections were a success both in process and outcome, with President Ali stating, “We have a responsibility to speak about our success.”
He urged continued partnership and constructive criticism but stressed that future reports must strive for fairness and comprehensive analysis.