Guyana announces elections in September, following Venezuela's disputed Essequibo polls

Guyana: In a decisive move, President Dr Irfaan Ali of Guyana has announced that the 2025 general elections will be held on 1st September 2025. This announcement came during his address at the 59th Independence Flag Raising Ceremony on May 25th. The timing of this declaration is particularly notable, as it closely follows Venezuela's controversial elections in the disputed region of Essequibo, a region administered by Guyana, but claimed by Venezuela.  

President Ali while announcing the date of the upcoming elections stated that he will soon issue the proclamation of the dissolution of the parliament as well. This step comes as in Guyana’s constitutional requirements that the general elections should take place within the country three months following the dissolution of parliament.  

Venezuela’s disputed elections  

The elections in Venezuela notably took place in a small district Bolivar state, near to the Guyanese borders with a population of just 21403 voters. However, there were no polling stations made in the territory of Essequibo, which is currently overlooked by Guyana. The Venezuelan president on the announcement of the election result stated that ’Essequibo has a governor’, on the other hand the Guyanese authorities opposed these elections.  

The election was won by candidate Neil Villamizar of the ruling Maduro government or the United Socialist Party. The elections held in the territory were strongly opposed not just by Guyanese authorities but the opposition party in Venezuela as well.  

CARICOM Condemns disputed elections in Venezuela  

The disputed elections were also condemned by the international community including the United States and CARICOM, who outlined that this is a violation of Guyana’s sovereignty and international law. The dispute between the two regions is currently handled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), who also ordered Venezuela to refrain from conducting the elections in the disputed territory.  

Despite these multiple warnings, Venezuela proceeded with the elections, which Guyanese authorities have stated as an illegal attempt to annex the region. Notably, the Guyanese authorities also advised all residents of the Essequibo region to refrain from participating in the elections or else they will have to face consequences.