Examining the eligibility requirement for Local Government Elections

Nov 13, 2022 News

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – Over the past two Sundays, Kaieteur News sought to highlight matters related to the Local Government Elections, their purpose, and importance. This week, the newspaper will venture to shed light on information relative to who is eligible to take part in the Local Government Elections. According to information obtained from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) website.

According to GECOM, the eligibility requirements for voting in Local Government Elections are:

You must be 18 years or over by a (qualifying) date to be set by the Commission relevant to the conduct of Local Government Elections
You must be registered and living in the Municipality or Neighbourhood Democratic Council and the Constituency in which you are desirous of voting to be able to vote under both the Proportional Representation and the Constituency components of the election; and
You must be listed on the Register of Voters for the Municipality or NDC in which you are desirous of voting.

RIGHTS AS A VOTER

As a registered voter, you have certain rights, including:

To vote as your conscience tells you.
To attend political meetings and campaign rallies.
To expect an orderly and peaceful election, free from fear, violence or intimidation.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A VOTER

As a registered voter, your responsibilities include:

Taking part in the election of persons who would be making decisions about your community that affect you directly and indirectly.
Knowing the various Voluntary Groups, Political Parties, Individual Candidates, and their stance on important communal issues.
Voting only once for the Voluntary Group or Political Party of your choice and once for the Constituency Candidate of your choice.
Knowing the boundaries of the Constituency in which you live.
Giving other voters equal opportunities to vote.

LISTS OF CANDIDATES TO CONTEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

Lists of Candidates contesting the Local Government Elections must be submitted not later than the 21st day before Election Day.
Each List of Candidates must appoint a Representative and a Deputy Representative of the List in writing to the Returning Officer.
The Representative or Deputy Representative must also make an application in writing to the Returning Officer for the allocation of a Symbol not later than the 21st Day before Election Day. The Returning Officer will thoroughly examine the Lists to ensure that all such Lists satisfy the legal requirements.
For any List found to be defective, the Returning Officer must not later than the 21st Day before E-Day inform the Representative or Deputy Representative of the List specifying the defect(s).
For those Lists found to be in order, the Returning Officer will not later than the 20th day before E-Day, publicly declare the Titles of the approved Lists and the names of Candidates therein and will give Notice in writing to the Representative or Deputy Representative.
Defective Lists must be corrected and returned to the Returning Officer not later than the 20th day before E-Day. Once a List has been corrected and the Returning Officer is in receipt of same not later than the 20th day before E-Day, he/she shall publicly declare the Titles and names of the Candidates therein and inform the Representative or Deputy Representative in writing.
Not later than the 18th Day before E-Day, the Returning Officer shall publish the Titles and Symbols of the Lists approved by him and the names of the Candidates on those Lists.
Each List of Candidates must be submitted on the prescribed Form and should indicate the name, address, ID number, occupation, and signature of each Candidate. The names should be one below the other with the Surnames in Alphabetical Order.

The signature or mark of each person submitting the List must be stated together with the name and the ID Card number. Each List of Candidates must also be accompanied by a declaration, on the prescribed Form, from each Candidate contesting the Election.

The List of Candidates submitted by each Voluntary Group or Political Party for the Proportional Representation Component should comprise ten or more names of Candidates than the total number of Councilors for the specific Local Authority Area for the Proportional Representation Component.
For the Constituency Component, the name of the single candidate contesting each specific Constituency as a nominee of a Political Party or Voluntary Group, or as an independent individual should be submitted.

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