GECOM warns: ‘No place for dual citizens in Parliament’

Jul 07, 2025 News

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has reminded all stakeholders that dual citizens do not qualify to become Members of the National Assembly.

In a statement on Sunday, GECOM said that to be a member of the National Assembly of Guyana, a person must be a Guyanese citizen, at least 18 years old, be registered as an elector, and be able to speak and read English well enough to participate actively in parliamentary proceedings.

Article 155(1)(a) of the Constitution stipulates that “no person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.”

This Article was inserted in the Constitution to address concerns about dual citizenship among parliamentarians. Accordingly, dual citizens are not eligible to be nominated or elected as Members of Parliament. It follows, therefore, that if the name of a dual citizen appears on any List of Candidates, such a list would be defective.

Moreover, Article 155 (1) (d) of the Constitution states that candidates should not hold or be acting in any of the following offices such as Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Member of Public Service Appellate Tribunal, Member of the Elections Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Teaching Service Commission or the Police Service Commission, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Ombudsman, or the Auditor General. “GECOM is therefore advising all contestants to ensure that they exercise caution in the preparation of their respective Lists of Candidates, to avoid any possibility of their lists being classified as defective,” the release stated.

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Dual citizens, Elections, GECOM, Members of the National Assembly

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