GECOM defends new nomination form as essential for fair elections

Jun 21, 2025 News

---

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday defended its recent last-minute revisions to the statutory nomination forms for the upcoming General and Regional Elections scheduled for September 1, 2025, stating that the changes are essential to upholding the integrity of the electoral process.

In May, GECOM officially announced July 14, 2025, as Nomination Day for the upcoming General and Regional Elections. Then, on June 12, GECOM issued a statement confirming the approval and implementation of a modified version of the Nomination Form, which must be submitted along with the Lists of Candidates by political parties contesting the elections. The revised form was proposed by Chief Election Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud.

The amendment introduces separate sections requiring nominators’ signatures for the National Top-Up List, Geographic Constituency List, and Regional Democratic Council List.

During that time, GECOM explained that the decision was prompted by multiple incidents following Nomination Day during the 2023 Local Government Elections. At that time, several individuals alleged they either did not sign the forms as nominators or were unaware that their signatures had been used for that purpose. These claims sparked widespread public controversy and disrupted the timely processing of candidates’ lists.

However, these changes have sparked dissatisfaction among political party members, leading to questions about GECOM’s preparedness for the upcoming elections.

As such, GECOM in a statement on Friday acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the timing of the changes but emphasized that it operates within its legal mandate to safeguard a fair, transparent, and credible electoral process. “GECOM recognizes the timing of the amendment and understands the challenges that procedural changes may present to contesting political parties,” the commission said.

GECOM noted that during a recent meeting with representatives of political parties, the commission discussed the reasoning behind the amendment. “The amendment was introduced as part of GECOM’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the electoral process. Specifically, the revised form requires political parties to demonstrate the requisite level of public support across each of Guyana’s ten administrative regions,” the commission explained.

Additionally, the commission emphasized that the revised nomination form’s requirements apply equally to all political parties and are intended to promote fairness, transparency, and public confidence in the electoral system. “GECOM remains committed to continuous engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that the nomination process is clearly understood and that the necessary support is available,” the commission stated.

GECOM’s public assurances came just one day after political party representatives voiced strong dissatisfaction during Thursday’s stakeholder briefing.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) member Carol Smith-Joseph expressed frustration over what she described as sudden and disruptive changes by GECOM, which she said are affecting her party’s preparations. “There are a lot of last-minute changes that GECOM has been making, which is unacceptable. However, we are still pressing on,” she told reporters.

Echoing similar concerns, Alliance For Change (AFC) member Beverly Alert criticized the timing of the changes to the nomination forms. “GECOM is the one who said they are ready for elections, and then they went back and changed the [nomination] form,” she said. Another AFC member, Nicole Trotman, highlighted the impact on her party’s progress. “We had to redo every single signature we had, and that came nine days after the election date was called. So I’m asking if they are giving us back the nine days which they have taken away from us, because that is not acceptable,” she asserted.

On the other hand, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, member of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic, (PPP/C), voiced no objections to GECOM’s amendments. He stated, “We don’t have any fundamental objections. GECOM has been consulting with all the parties and the process forward, so nothing should come as a surprise. I believe it is a consultative process… and the amendments that we have made to ROPA and the National Registration Act were intended to cut out a lot of discretion and to make the system more accountable, more transparent. So we are happy that those provisions are now being implemented.”

---

• AFC, Beverly Alert, Fair Elections, GECOM, General and Regional Elections, Guyana Elections

---