GECOM says ready for Nomination Day, AFC objects to order

Last Updated on Sunday, 13 July 2025, 21:18 by Writer

Despite concerns by the Alliance For Change (AFC) that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) has been allocated the second spot to present its list of candidates and nominators to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Monday, the election management body has declared all systems go for Nomination Day.

Parties have between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday to submit their lists of candidates and nominators to the Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown.

AFC Leader Nigel Hughes on Saturday’s edition of “Alliance On The Move” objected to Mr Persaud informing him by letter that the PPP was given the second spot to submit its nominations based on a picture of its representatives having been outside the Umana Yana on July 7 but opting to leave after recognising that GECOM had not yet taken control of that location.

Mr Hughes said APNU was first to camp out at that location, followed by AFC, Assembly of Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) and Forward Guyana Movement (FGM). He said GECOM’s Chief Security Officer Ronald Stuart had recorded the names of the parties present and showed the list to them, leading them to assume that that would be the order in which they would submit their nominations on Monday. “He said this is the order in which I am recording it and he showed it to the representatives of the parties who were there,” said Mr Hughes, an Attorney-at-Law.

The AFC Leader said it is important for political parties to submit their nominations and nominators as early as possible, preferably first, to reduce the possibility of GECOM objecting to the names of nominators or candidates on grounds that they had nominated persons of other political parties. If that happens, he says, political parties have 24 hours within which the submit “back-up candidates” or journey back to even remote locations to acquire more names.

GECOM, for its part, on Saturday indicated that the order of arrival would be one of the elements to be considered. “The process will be conducted with strict adherence to electoral procedures, considering order of arrival, document verification, and stakeholder coordination.”

GECOM encouraged all parties and supporters to adhere to and respect the established protocols.

The Commission said “all preparations are well underway” for Nomination Day for the September 1 general and regional polls to elect a president, parliamentarians and councillors for Guyana’s 10 administrative regions. “GECOM is coordinating all logistical and procedural arrangements to ensure a smooth, transparent, and inclusive nomination process in line with the legal framework and established guidelines as planned for Nomination Day at Umana Yana,” GECOM added.

The election management body said the Chief Election Officer would be at Umana Yana to receive submissions, verify documents, and provide guidance on any clarifications as required.

Laying out the process, GECOM added that upon the successful submission of a complete nomination package, GECOM would issue an acknowledgment.