Guyana Rises: An Election Takes Place at a Pivotal Time

Carlene Gill-Kerr walked through a city park, reflecting on her voting plan and urging others to do the same. The next day, the Guyanese poet would cast a ballot with hopes for a fair process and results that would serve everyone well — not just those who look like her.

“Go out there and choose,” she said. “Guyana is at a point where we can go left or right.… I really want to see Guyana rise.”

She wasn’t alone in wanting a peaceful and democratic process.

The Carter Center dispatched a team of nearly 50 international observers to monitor the Sept. 1 election in the multiethnic — and often ethnically divided — country. They came from places as diverse as Mali, Sri Lanka, and Colombia before deploying by car, airplane, and boat to more than 230 polling stations, even in the most remote areas of Guyana.

“Observers play a critical role in measuring electoral credibility, acting as the eyes and ears around key parts of the process. They report on preelection conditions and also assess the quality of election day processes at polling stations and tabulation centers,” said David Carroll, director of the Center’s Democracy Program. “The work of individual observers is critical to the Carter Center’s mission.”

Elections in Guyana have been marked by tension, and this one came at a pivotal time in the country’s history. The South American nation has experienced newfound wealth, development, and global attention since the discovery of offshore oil in 2015. It’s also seen amplified territorial claims and aggression from Venezuela over their shared border. The last election, in 2020, was marked by an alleged attempt to undermine tabulation of votes, which took more than five months to resolve. The stakes this time felt especially high for voters, observers, and democracy alike.

“Elections are a steppingstone toward democratization,” said Sasha Pajevic, of Montenegro, an election observer who’s also joined the Center for missions in Libya, Nepal, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. “Voters trust the transparency and validity of elections more when international organizations are present.”

The 2025 election was the Center’s sixth in Guyana, the first being in 1992. And while concerns remain about campaign finance rules, state media bias, and mishandling of state resources for campaigning, the election itself was the smoothest yet.

The incumbent party won, with President Mohamed Irfaan Ali securing reelection. A new opposition party — established just three months before the election and headed by a young U.S.-sanctioned businessman — emerged in second place, a development that may change the landscape moving forward.

The Center has made, and will continue to make, recommendations for how Guyana can improve future elections to ensure every voice is heard.

“This democracy in Guyana is hard won and, therefore, more valuable,” said Jason Carter, President Carter’s grandson, chair of the Center’s board of trustees, and leader of the 2025 Guyana mission. “Guyana has a real opportunity to be a world leader and an example for the world of a vibrant democracy that is built on freedom and that is based on equal and wide access to political power.”

And poet Gill-Kerr, determined to see her country rise, would like to see that Guyana on the horizon, too.