Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Irfaan Ali, addressed the opening of the GDF Annual Officers Conference 2025. He charged the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) with the vital task of preserving democracy while emphasizing the importance of their right to vote freely in the upcoming general and regional elections.
“Every member of the force has a right to vote according to the dictates of their conscience, and as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, that right will be respected. The professionalism of the military will always be upheld. Our duty is to the nation, to its security and the preservation of law and order, not to any political interest,” he stated during the conference held at Base Camp Ayanganna in Georgetown.
The President assured that the GDF would be on standby and prepared to support the Guyana Police Force in “maintaining peace and order, and importantly, in sustaining democracy forever in this country.” He urged that all measures must be taken to ensure the elections are conducted without intimidation, violence, or disruption, referencing recent comments made by some political leaders.
Despite no predictions of unrest or violations of the law, Dr. Ali highlighted the necessity for vigilance against any attempts to disturb internal order. Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton voiced the need for a digitalized fingerprint registration and voter verification system to ensure credible elections, warning that failure to do so could lead to unrest. He expressed concerns over potential election rigging, stating, “They come with all these phony polls that they are going to get a landslide. I think the reason that they don’t want biometrics is that they are planning a landslide.”
Norton further argued that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) could not achieve a landslide victory due to severe socio-economic conditions and alleged plans to steal the upcoming elections.
In response, President Ali clarified that his administration does not ask GDF members to engage in any unprofessional conduct. “Let me be clear, we are not asking anyone to take a partisan stand. We ask every day for the members of the Joint Services to take a professional and national stand,” he affirmed.
Historically, the Defence Force, Police Force, Prisons Service, and Fire Service, predominantly composed of Afro-Guyanese, have been seen as support bases for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). The President reiterated that Guyana’s democracy relies on free, fair, and peaceful elections, promising to ensure that no internal or external force disrupts the will of the people.
