Seven parties seek GECOM’s clearance to contest elections

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, 1:41 by Writer

Seven of 21 political parties on Monday submitted nominations to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) hoping to get the green light to contest the September 1 general and regional elections.

Initially, GECOM had approved 21 symbols on June 23 but on Monday a mere seven parties submitted lists of candidates and nominators. They are A Partnership for National Unity, People’s Progressive Party Civic, Alliance For Change, We Invest in Nationhood, Forward Guyana Movement, Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity, and Horizon and Star.

During a break in the process held at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown, GECOM Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud said the parties’ lists of candidates would be scrutinised electronically. “We are now required to process these lists to ensure that they meet the statutory requirements…If they don’t, they will be given an opportunity to remedy the defects and once those are remedied, then they will go forward to be approved to contest the elections,” he said. The seven-member Commission would meet on Friday to sign off on the approved parties, Mr Persaud added.

Mr Persaud said once the nominations are approved GECOM would then take steps to design and print the ballots and supporting documents in Canada by Canadian Bank Note.

The Chief Election Officer said there would be 2,785 polling stations for which there would be a maximum of 400 voters assigned to each polling station. This number could be smaller based on the population size in a number of communities.

Police, soldiers, fire fighters and prison service personnel would be voting 10 days ahead of the general population’s voting day of September 1, 2025.

Mr Persaud expressed confidence that GECOM could declare results by the end of September 2, 2025 if there are no requests for recounts. He, however, reminded that the general public could track the results from GECOM’s website where, now according to law, they must be posted.

GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh said she was satisfied with preparations for the polls to elect a president, members of the 65-seat National Assembly and members of the ten regional councils. “As far as I am concerned and from what I know, the Secretariat is working very hard and we have been looking at a lot of many matters and we are putting things in place,” she said.