PPP/C to launch 2025 election campaign, manifesto next month

The governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is gearing up to formally launch its campaign next month for the upcoming 2025 General and Regional Elections slated for September 1.
“We will formally launch our campaign in early July,” the PPP’s General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed.
Speaking at the weekly press conference at the Party’s Freedom House headquarters on Thursday, Jagdeo said that the PPP is currently in the process of vetting individuals to go on its list of candidates that is required to be submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on July 14, Nominations Day.
“That is a major undertaking in a party, where you often have, for every list, maybe four or five hundred people more who want to get on the list than you have space for… Everyone wants to be on the list, but you have to disappoint some people because you have limited space. So, we’re engaged in that process, and we’re trying to do it in a democratic way, consulting with the party activists and supporters on the ground across all 10 regions, and we’re now going through the final stages of that process,” he noted.
Similarly, the PPP General Secretary noted that vetting is also ongoing for candidates to be included in the backers list, which will be in compliance with GECOM’s prescribed form, which has a declaration at the top to indicate that persons are knowingly and willingly signing to support a particular political party.
Jagdeo called on the Elections Commission to ensure that all political parties utilise these designated forms to enlist nominators/backers for the upcoming elections.
He alleged that “some people are paying to get backers, and some are being misled, and they [are] not showing people the form.”
“I hope GECOM will rigidly enforce that the appropriate form is used, because in the past…they will go with a blank sheet and get people to sign off, and then they will add a covering letter, and many of those people never even knew they were supporting a list of candidates for a particular party; they may not even support that party,” the PPP General Secretary added.
Already, GECOM has received 24 symbols from political parties desirous of contesting in the upcoming elections. The Commission is expected to consider and approve these symbols by July 1.
On July 14, Nominations Day, parties will be required to submit their approved symbols and their Lists of Candidates: one National Top-Up List, at least six Geographical Constituencies’ Lists, and the Regional Democratic Councils’ Lists.
The National Top-Up list, which identifies the presidential candidate, must have at least 42 candidates and between 300 and 330 nominators countrywide. Each geographical constituency list must have between 150 and 175 nominators from each geographical constituency.
But while the PPP is currently facing the challenge of excess candidates for its lists, Jagdeo says the situation is reversed for other parties that are having a difficult time enlisting candidates or backers.
“One political party with a criminal enterprise linked to it is calling people… They’re looking for people to be on their list because people are afraid of being sanctioned or getting into trouble,” the PPP General Secretary stated.
Moreover, he was also asked during Thursday’s press conference to comment on the controversy surrounding one political party using Guyana’s national animal – the jaguar – as its symbol.
We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the political party formed by US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, has submitted the jaguar as his party’s symbol – something that has stirred controversies within several groups, including the indigenous community.
In fact, Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Derrick John, wrote GECOM on the issue, condemning the political use of the jaguar, which he says amounts to an “offensive desecration of one of our sacred symbols”.
According to the PPP General Secretary, this is a matter for the Elections Commission to ultimately decide on. But while he too believes that it is a desecration and understands the outrage, Jagdeo contended that it is not a “big deal” for the PPP, which will be using its traditional cup symbol.