GECOM finalising preparations for Monday’s Nomination Day

…small parties upset over placement

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is currently finalising arrangements for the holding of Nomination Day on Monday, when political parties contesting the September 1, 2025, General and Regional Elections are expected to submit their lists of candidates. On Monday, July 14, the parties are required to make their submissions to Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Vishnu Persaud, between 10:00h and 14:00h at the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown.
Among the documents to be submitted are a Geographical Constituency List, a National Top-Up List and a Regional Democratic Council List.
So far, GECOM has approved the symbols of 21 political parties that have signalled their interest in contesting the upcoming elections.
According to GECOM in a statement on Saturday, Nomination Day is a critical milestone in the electoral calendar.
It noted that all political parties are encouraged to submit their lists during the designated period. The CEO will be on-site to receive submissions, verify documents, and provide guidance on any clarifications as required.
Upon the successful submission of a complete nomination package, GECOM said it will issue an acknowledgment to the parties.
The Elections Commission noted that the process will be conducted with strict adherence to electoral procedures, considering order of arrival, document verification, and stakeholder coordination.
“GECOM will provide a structured environment conducive to the peaceful and respectful participation of all contesting political entities. GECOM requests respect for the democratic process and contribution to a peaceful and dignified atmosphere throughout the day,” the missive stated.
To this end, the Elections Commission is encouraging all parties and supporters to adhere and respect the established protocols.
“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,” Saturday’s statement detailed.

Smaller parties dissatisfied
But even as preparations are underway for the smooth flow, and GECOM’s calls for cooperation, several small political parties that are contesting the upcoming polls have expressed their dissatisfaction over the order in which they have been placed by the Commission to hand in their lists.
Since last week, several political parties had camped out outside the Umana Yana compound to secure their spot for Nomination Day.
However, GECOM has since issued letters to the political parties informing them of their respective placement as to when they would be allowed to enter the Umana Yana to make their submissions.
Guyana Times was made to understand that the People’s National Congress-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) was given the first spot, while the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is second, the Alliance for Change (AFC) is third and the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) given fourth place.
In the letter issued to the parties, GECOM explained that it does not have formal procedures on the order in which parties arrive to make their submissions. However, it was confronted with a situation where three parties had camped out outside the Umana Yana while one other party had submitted a photograph of its presence out the venue since Monday last to secure its second-place spot. That latter party, according to GECOM, did not stay at the venue after realising that GECOM had not yet taken possession of the facility.
“Having communicated formally with the Chairman and Commissioners on this matter, and in an attempt to give a semblance of orderly conduct on Nomination Day, the Chief Election Officer had decided to allocate second place to the party that laud claim to this spot,” the letter indicated.
But AFC Leader, Nigel Hughes; ALP Leader, Simona Broomes and Forward Guyana Movement Leader, Amanza Walton-Desir, held a press briefing on Saturday to complain about their placement lower in the order.
They said this could disadvantage them, especially if there are defects in their lists, in which case, they would have less time to make the changes that could require them to having to travel to remote hinterland areas to correct. Parties will have until July 17 to submit their corrections to GECOM.
However, it was pointed out to these leaders that the same practice was used in 2020. But the leaders sought to defend their current objections despite it pointed out to them that the then APNU+AFC Coalition regime – of which they were all members of at the time and have since broken ties – was positioned in the first spot despite not being on site.