GECOM divided on joinders parliamentary representation formula

Last Updated on Friday, 27 June 2025, 1:53 by Writer

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Wednesday appeared split on whether it should have any role in determining the formula for joinder parties to be represented in the National Assembly.

People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-nominated Election Commissioner Sase Gunraj told Demerara Waves Online News that while the seven-member commission would deliberate on the question, he did not believe that GECOM should say how parties that contested under the joinder/combination lists should determine who should sit in the House. “I’m hoping that we can discuss it and come up with a position on it but I believe that the law is clear on it and if parties want to engage in certain arrangements, they should be responsible enough to make proper agreements to govern their engagement,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.

For his part, opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC)-nominated Election Commissioner Vincent Alexander said political parties under a combination list system should be represented in the National Assembly based on the first, second, third and fourth highest number of votes received. “Each party may have a remainder so in the joinder, the remainders are brought together to make one total which would then put them in a position to get the remainder or remainder seats. However, it is only the party that has the largest proportion of the remainder total gets the first seat and they may go down the line if there are more than one seats,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.

The Representation of the People Act states that two or more lists of candidates shall be joined for the distribution of seats but not for the purpose of voting if the representative and deputy representative of each list to be so joined formally notifies the Chief Election Officer no later than the 25th day before election day. Lists so joined are referred to collectively as a combination of lists.

ANUG Leader Dr Mark France is on record as not ruling out taking the matter to court for an interpretation if GECOM makes an unsatisfactory decision.