At least 16 political parties attended a meeting hosted Thursday afternoon by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to address technical issues ahead of Nomination Day next month.
Deputy Chief Elections Officer Aneal Giddings
On July 14, parties contesting the upcoming General and Regional Elections are expected to submit their Lists of Candidates to the Elections Commission. On that day, the Chief Election Officer will accept submissions at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown, from 10:00h to 14:00h.
Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Aneal Giddings explained that the creation of this list is a technical process and the engagement was effective.
“I believe it is very important to understand the aspects regarding the preparation and submission of the various Lists of Candidates. Many parties had a lot of questions. It is a very technical process, so it has a lot of requirements, and I believe this [engagement] was very appropriate. And from the reaction of the persons who attended, I believe that it was a success,” the DCEO told reporters after the meeting.
According to Giddings, both he and the Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud, have been in constant contact with the various parties, making themselves available for any queries heading into the upcoming electoral activities.
Prior to next month’s Nomination Day, the political parties contesting the upcoming polls are required to submit their symbols by June 22. These symbols, once approved, will be included on the ballot paper to represent the respective parties.
The DCEO explained that one prevalent issue encountered during this process at previous elections is that some parties might submit similar symbols. However, he noted that this is not grounds for qualification, adding that the parties are simply informed and would make the change.
Concerns
But while the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the People’s National Congress-led A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR-APNU) declared their readiness for the upcoming electoral activities, the Alliance For Change (AFC) as well as some of the smaller and newer parties expressed several concerns.
A common issue raised by these parties is GECOM’s failure to address the Joinder List arrangement.
“The Joinder List option is one of the options that small and newer parties are looking to work together [via], pooling your resources to improve your chances at the election … If this is something that was not addressed in two and a half years, how can it be addressed in a matter of days?” Chairman of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Mark Defrance, stated.
The DCEO had committed to raising this issue at GECOM’s next statutory meeting, explaining that this is a matter for the seven-member Elections Commission to address.
Despite the concerns raised by some of the parties, the GECOM official assured that the Elections Secretariat is ready to deliver a free and transparent election.
“From the point of view of the Secretariat [and] where we are with preparation, where we are with the work plan, I am confident that we will deliver a free, transparent and credible elections come September 1,” Giddings declared.
Some of the other parties that attended GECOM’s meeting included We Invest in Nationhood (WIIN), founded by US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed; the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity Party, founded by former PNC member Simona Broomes; and the Vigilant Political Action Committee (VPAC).
Ongoing preparations
In the meantime, the process for submission of symbols by political parties is ongoing, and these are expected to be approved by the Elections Commission by July 1.
Also, in preparing for the upcoming polls, GECOM is conducting a Claims and Objections exercise.
The ‘Claims’ aspect of this exercise is already completed, while the ‘Objections’ leg will be closed off today. This will then make way for the preparation of the Revised List of Electors, which will be publicised for 21 days before it is finalised and certified.
Moreover, the Secretariat is simultaneously working on other critical matters, such as identifying polling station locations. GECOM has already approved the Returning Officers (ROs) and Supernumerary Returning Officers for appointment.
The timeline for election-related activities after Nomination Day includes: July 15: Notification of any death or withdrawal of candidates and feedback on defects in the lists; July 17: Submission of corrected lists and further withdrawals; July 18: Issuance of approval or rejection notices by GECOM; July 20: Deadline for appeals to the High Court; July 21: Deadline for notifications of joinder of lists; and July 23: Publication (gazetting) of the approved Lists of Candidates.
Meanwhile, the next milestone event will be August 22, when members of the Disciplined Services will be allowed to cast their ballots ahead of the September 1 election day.
