GECOM to meet with political parties today ahead of Sept 1 polls

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is expected to meet with the various political parties that will be contesting the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1, 2025.
According to GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj, this briefing will be held today by the Elections Secretariat. He explained that it would be a general briefing on election-related matters as preparations continue for the holding of the upcoming polls.
This engagement comes mere days before political parties are required to submit their symbols to be approved by the Commission. Parties have until June 22 to submit their applications to the Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud. These symbols, once approved, will be included on the ballot paper to represent the respective political parties.
Moreover, Nomination Day has been set for July 14, when political parties that will contest the upcoming elections are expected to submit their respective Lists of Candidates to GECOM for approval. The statutory forms for both the submission of symbol applications and the Lists of Candidates are accessible on GECOM’s website.
Only last week, the Elections Commission approved a modified version of the Nomination Form, which it said is designed to ensure accuracy and safeguard against misuse, especially in light of controversies surrounding the nomination process during recent elections.
GECOM has urged all political parties and contestants to use the modified form as part of their preparations for Nomination Day. On that day, the Chief Election Officer will accept submissions at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown, from 10:00hrs to 14:00hrs.
The timeline for related activities 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.
According to the electoral body, using the updated form is crucial for avoiding disputes and ensuring that all lists are processed efficiently within the tight statutory timeline.
Meanwhile, ahead of the September 1 polling day, members of the Disciplined Services will be allowed to cast their ballots on August 22, 2025. Members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force and Guyana Prison Service are traditionally given the opportunity to vote in advance of Election Day since they are required to be on duty.
Three persons have been appointed by GECOM as the ballot officer for each agency, that is, Areana Britton for the GDF, Sharon Jethu for the GPF, and Sadhna Boodhanlall for the GPS.
Back in April, the Joint Services held a working session with the objective of enhancing operational synergy and inter-agency collaboration ahead of the upcoming election period.
Meanwhile, during Tuesday’s statutory meeting at GECOM, the returning officers and supernumerary returning officers were approved for appointment. They are expected to be sworn in soon, and the location of their offices will also be published in the coming days.
These individuals will be under great public scrutiny, especially since the events that followed the March 2, 2020 elections. After a nearly smooth polling day, Guyana was embroiled in a prolonged electoral impasse for five months following blatant attempts by former Returning Officer for Region Four – the largest voting district, Clairmont Mingo, and others to inflate the votes in favour of the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition.
Mingo, along with other former senior GECOM officials and political activists, is currently before the court, facing electoral fraud charges.
On the other hand, the Elections Secretariat also undertook during Tuesday’s meeting to provide protocols for movement of Statements of Poll (SoPs) from polling stations to the intended recipients, including posting on the website.