GECOM says Nomination Day went smoothly

Jul 15, 2025 News

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…approval of lists to be announced by Friday

By Renay Sambach

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced that the 2025 Nomination Day went smoothly, with a total of seven political parties submitting their lists of candidates to contest the September 1 polls.

The event was held at the Umana Yana, Kingston. Supporters of the governing People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Alliance For Change (AFC), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and other parties flocked their leaders as they submitted their lists of candidates. Notably, by Friday, the seven parties that submitted their lists, will be notified if they were approved and will be contesting the 2025 General and Regional Elections on September 1.

Submitting a list signals a party’s intention to contest the elections. As it relates to the general elections, parties submit a national list of candidates for the National Assembly. This list applies countrywide, as seats are distributed based on the total number of votes a party receives across the country. To contest the general elections, a party must submit candidates lists in at least six of the 10 geographical constituencies, and these six must account for a minimum of 13 parliamentary seats. Also, parties are required to submit a national top-up list, which includes the name of their presidential candidate.

For the regional elections, parties must file separate list of candidates for each region they intend to contest. However, parties are not obligated to contest in all ten regions.

In a statement on Monday evening, GECOM announced the successful conclusion of Nomination Day, marking another important milestone on the road to the General and Regional Elections. GECOM commended all participating parties for their orderly conduct and constructive engagement throughout the day.  “The atmosphere was peaceful, festive, and with a democratic spirit reflecting the importance of this national event,” the commission said.

Following the close of nominations and in keeping with standard procedures, GECOM said all submitted lists have been securely transferred to GECOM’s Data Processing Center. The Commission explained that the center has been professionally structured to manage both the General and Regional Elections submissions, with designated teams assigned to each set of nominations.

The Commission stated, “In line with our commitment to electoral integrity, all data is being carefully entered into a secure processing system. Each list undergoes thorough verification and validation, including cross-checks against the Revised List of Electors, examination of nominators, and confirmation of candidate eligibility.”

By July 15, 2025, the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud will notify all political parties if any of the information submitted is found to be defective and requires correction. Political parties will then have 24 hours to make their final submissions.

Moreover, during a post-deadline briefing with members of the media at Umana Yana, Persaud explained that although 14:00 hours was set as the official deadline for the submission of Lists of Candidates, the Commission will remain open to allow additional parties the opportunity to submit.  When asked what he or GECOM observed with the presentation of the lists, Persaud said it would be premature to offer detailed observations but noted that the process moved smoothly.

Explaining what happens next, Persaud stated that the work continues at the level of the Secretariat. The CEO said, “We are now required to process these lists to ensure that they meet the statutory requirements and once they do, then they will be approved to contest the election. If they don’t, they will be given an opportunity to remedy the defects and once those are remedied, then they will go forward to be approved to contest the election.”

He further noted, that his role is to ensure the documentary requirements are met. The CEO indicated that the statutory review process for the Lists of Candidates should conclude on Thursday. “It has to be processed…on Friday, we are scheduled as per our work plan, to have the Commission approve, approved list of candidates to contest elections, and that is when the final number and the lists of those that will be contesting will be known,” he said.

Once approved, he said, GECOM will begin the design of the ballot papers. Persaud noted that the ballots are not printed locally, but overseas. The CEO explained that ballots, tally sheets, and Statements of Poll have traditionally been printed overseas by reliable service providers such as the Canadian Bank Note Company. He said GECOM has never encountered issues with the quality of that work.

“Meanwhile, we are doing our logistical work in preparation for the elections. Ballots come back. We do extraction for conduct of discipline services balloting, and then we pack ballot boxes to go to for Election Day, September 1…,” he stated. Persaud noted that the Joint Services will vote 10 days before September 1.

The Chief Elections Officer added that there are now at about 2,785 polling stations which is an increase from the 2020 General and Regional Elections. “It is definitely an increase, and that is because the allocation of voters to polling stations has been restricted to 400 per polling station. It used to be 450,” he said.

Declaration of results

Moreover, when asked how soon after the September 1 elections citizens could expect results, Persaud explained that the law requires Statements of Poll to be uploaded to GECOM’s website as they are processed. “So, the results of the election could be known even before we are ready to declare it, because you can be sitting in your living room and be doing your own combination. But in so far as the declaration is concerned, at the level of GECOM, at the district level, we are earmarked to have declarations done by the night of the day after elections,” he noted.

However, he highlighted that the public declaration would depend on whether any requests for a recount are made. If so, it would delay the national declaration. “If there is not, by the end of the second day after the elections, we should have a national declaration,” Persaud said.

On the topic of international observers, Persaud said GECOM expects the usual support from the Commonwealth, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the European Union, Organization of American States (OAS), and the Carter Center. Moreover, Chairman of GECOM Claudette Singh in a brief interview confirmed that any defects in the lists requiring correction would be addressed within two days. When asked if GECOM is prepared for the elections, she responded, “Of course.”

 

 

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• GECOM, Guyana Elections, Nomination Day, People’s Progressive Party Civic, Vishnu Persaud

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