From the crack of dawn, members of the Disciplined Services were gathered this morning to vote in the 2025 national elections, ahead of the rest of the country.
At Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, the polling stations opened promptly at 6am with the Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, being the first to cast his ballot. A number of other senior officers followed closely as junior officers and recruits waited their turn.
Within minutes of entering the polling station, the Top Cop emerged and explained that the process was a smooth one.
“I have exercised my democratic right this morning and it is my right to vote and I have done just that. The process in terms of GECOM, I think based on what I would have observed just now, they are on time and everything is moving smoothly”, Hicken stated.
He also said regular checks would be done at other Police locations to ensure the process was progressing without issue.
“I am going to spend the entire day visiting stations and all the areas voting to ensure that everything is going smoothly”, the Commissioner said.
For voting by the rest of the country on the 1st September, the Police Commissioner said the Police and the Joint Services are already in a state of readiness.
“We have been working with the joint services in terms of training and in addition to that, we have had our units prepared and there is training that is ongoing now and we are adequately prepared. Remember nomination day it was quiet and we expect that this day will be quiet and similarly for the general and regional elections, we expect it to be quiet”, Hicken told reporters.
Across at the Headquarters of the Guyana Defence Force, Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, was the first to cast his ballot, and he told reporters that there are 24 voting places for the GDF members across the country and there has been no reported issue.
“The experience just now was very organised and smooth and I want to thank all those who were responsible for ensuring that this was done successfully…I do not anticipate any issue as soldiers are expressing and exercising their democratic right to participate in this beautiful and important process.
He noted the importance of members of the military exercising their right to vote in the elections.
“As you know traditionally, the Joint Services would vote before the general public vote that is scheduled for the 1st September. Throughout the day, soldiers will decide without coercion to vote as their right so deem to each one of them and I expect no issue throughout the day”, Khan said.
Prison Officers were also out early at their polling stations casting their ballots in the elections. There are six political parties contesting in the elections.
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