Latest update September 3rd, 2026 10:25 AM
Mohamed hopeful party logo will get GECOM approval
Presidential candidate, Azruddin Mohamed
Kaieteur News – Presidential candidate for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party and businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, remains hopeful that his party’s logo will be approved by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
During an interview with reporters on Thursday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, Mohamed said, “We never had a problem with a logo before; this is the first time. Come the first of July, I hope the logo will be approved because this would be the first time if it is refused.”
GECOM will, on July 1, 2025, deliberate and determine whether the logos for some 24 political parties that have expressed an intention to contest the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections have met established criteria.
Mohamed’s response stemmed from remarks made by the Chairman of the National Protected Areas Commission.
WIN logo
On June 19, 2025, WIN’s logo, which includes a jaguar – a national animal- was revealed to the public. Shortly thereafter, Persaud, in a Facebook post, said:
“A word to the Guyana Elections Commission in my capacity as Chairman of the National Protected Areas Commission:
Guyana’s national symbols represent all of us. They reflect our shared history, culture, and pride. Using them for political purposes undermines their meaning and divides the very people they’re meant to unite.”
Persaud also said that, “The Jaguar is more than a powerful animal. It speaks to who we are as Guyanese; resilient and deeply rooted to this land. For generations, the Jaguar has stood as a symbol of national strength and unity. Turning this national symbol into a party logo strips it of that shared meaning and tries to turn it into something small, partisan, and representing only a few.
In Guyana, national symbols like this aren’t just decoration. They carry weight. They tell stories. And they deserve care. Instead of turning the Jaguar into a hollow political brand, let’s honour our national symbols by keeping them where they belong, with all the people of Guyana.”
Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Derrick John, and Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, have also condemned the use of the national animal on WIN’s logo, stating that it is a sacred symbol of the indigenous people.
According to a News Source article, John and Shuman wrote to GECOM, objecting to the use of the jaguar as a political symbol. In a letter quoted by the online media outlet, John expressed concern over the use of “indigenous symbols and imagery” by political parties.
“The cultural symbols of Indigenous Peoples hold deep spiritual and traditional significance. Their use in political campaigns, without proper context or consent, risks misrepresentation and may inadvertently create division within our communities,” he was reported as saying.
John reportedly said that the use of the national animal is an “offensive desecration” of one of the indigenous peoples’ “sacred symbols”.
The NTC Chair cited Articles 5 and 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, noting that the use of the jaguar as a political symbol is a breach of Indigenous rights.
Article 31 states: “Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and tradition cultural expressions,” in addition to their right “to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.”
Meanwhile, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, during his weekly press conference on Thursday, said that a political party’s symbol is approved by GECOM.
“Personally, I think it’s a desecration but whether he gets the symbol or not, it’s not a big concern of the People Progressive Party. But I can understand the concerns of the NTC and many others who have complained that it’s a national symbol,” Jagdeo said.
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