Latest update June 20th, 2025 12:40 AM
Latest News
Some political parties want elections to be pushed back
…say unready GECOM a recipe for chaos
Representatives of some of the small political parties outside GECOM’s headquarter
By Shania Williams
Kaieteur News – Several of the small political parties hoping to contest the upcoming elections have expressed serious doubts about the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) preparedness for the September 1 polls, deeming the body’s unreadiness a recipe for chaos, and formally called for the elections to be rescheduled.
On Thursday, sixteen political parties attended a briefing hosted by GECOM to review the final procedures leading up to Nomination Day and the September 1 General and Regional Elections. However, several parties raised strong doubts about GECOM’s readiness. Alliance For Change (AFC) members, Nicole Trotman and Beverly Alert, speaking with reporters after the briefing, criticised the Commission’s failure to resolve longstanding issues, particularly those affecting smaller political parties. Alert, in particular, pointed to GECOM’s inaction on the “joinder list” mechanism, a system that allows smaller parties to combine forces and share parliamentary representation.
“The intent of the meeting was to share information ahead of the 2025 elections. Many of the concerns raised, especially by the smaller parties, pertained to the joinder system, specifically, how representatives are identified for the National Assembly,” Alert said. “It is clear that GECOM has not addressed this. They have not put their minds to it. They have not addressed so many other things. I have zero confidence in GECOM holding elections. They are absolutely not ready.”
Trotman added that the Commission’s inability to answer fundamental questions despite having had years to do so was alarming. “If you have smaller parties that are very interested in joining, and you’ve had this very issue for over two years, and then come to a briefing where you can’t answer a fundamental question, then that shows the level of preparedness GECOM has,” she stated. Both members concluded by calling on GECOM to take the “honourable” step of rescheduling the September 1 elections. “Of course, GECOM should do the honourable thing. They are simply not ready,” they declared.
Chairman of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Dr. Mark France, also harshly criticised the Commission over its failure to address longstanding concerns regarding the joinder list system. France pointed to systemic gaps that have already negatively impacted ANUG’s participation in the electoral process. “One of the major contentious points — and this is something that has affected ANUG — is how the joinder list actually functions. GECOM has had two and a half years and is still unable to determine how a joinder list should operate with regard to the combination of lists,” Dr. France said.
He cited ANUG’s past experience with Dr. Asha Kissoon as an example of how the current system fails in practice. “We had the unfortunate experience of Asha Kissoon replacing her representative from the list, and that representative was put through a faulty system. Clearly, GECOM hasn’t addressed it. If it wasn’t resolved in two and a half years, how can they address it in a matter of days?”
France expressed concern that, despite claims of readiness, GECOM has neglected one of the few tools smaller or newer parties can use to compete meaningfully.
Out of frustration, France also announced that ANUG will be pursuing legal recourse to compel GECOM to clarify its position on the matter before Nomination Day. “The current executive of ANUG is planning to take this matter to court. This is something GECOM must have a position on before elections. You can’t have an issue that’s gone unresolved for two years,” he warned.
Nigel London, a representative of The People’s Movement, echoed the same sentiment of GECOM’s unpreparedness for the upcoming elections. London also criticised the Commission’s failure to resolve ongoing issues related to the joinder list. “GECOM is unprepared to hold elections. If there are ten parties seeking to enter into joinder arrangements, GECOM cannot say at this point how they intend to address this. It’s unfortunate, and it is a clear sign that they are not ready for this election,” he stated.
Additionally, Simona Broomes, representing the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), accused GECOM of treating smaller political parties unfairly compared to the more established ones. Broomes criticised GECOM for what she described as a lack of consistency and fairness in its approach to parties seeking to participate in the upcoming elections. “GECOM has a mandate to educate and to treat all parties contesting these elections equally,” Broomes said. “You cannot have the older parties being treated in a particular way, and then when it comes to newer parties trying to enter the process, there is this constant back and forth.”
She emphasised that the unequal treatment undermines the democratic process and discourages political participation by emerging movements. “I think it’s a waste of time, and GECOM must treat all parties with the same level of respect,” she added.
Meanwhile, members from the PPP/C and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) offered a more balanced perspective on GECOM’s readiness. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, along with Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, both representing the PPP/C, described the meeting as a routine and procedural engagement under the elections framework. “This is a normal procedure. Every election, you have a briefing to deal with the technical aspects to prepare your list of candidates — that is all,” Mustapha stated.
When pressed on criticisms surrounding his advisory role to GECOM and whether it might compromise the Commission’s independence, Nandlall responded with a firm, “No,” and declined to take further questions as he walked away from the press.
Speaking with reporters, Charles Sugrim of the Azruddin Mohamed-led political party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), highlighted some key concerns he raised during the meeting. He said, “The issues I raised were the number of electors, ensuring that it is correct, how to address cases where someone’s name is deleted, and laying out the timeframe.” Despite these concerns, Sugrim expressed confidence in GECOM’s overall performance so far.
GECOM maintains readiness
For their part, Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Aneal Giddings, assessed the meeting as successful overall but conceded that the joinder list mechanism remains unresolved: “We consider it a burning issue now. What I promised the party is that at the next statutory meeting at the Commission, we will raise it. At this point in time, we don’t have the answer. I would prefer to be guided by the Commission’s decision.”
Regarding broader preparations, Giddings expressed confidence: “From the point of view of the Secretariat, where we are with preparation, where we are with the work plan, I am confident that we will deliver a free, transparent, credible election come September 1.” He further noted that over 1,000 deceased individuals have been flagged in the electoral register, with a deadline set for next week to finalise cleanup efforts.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The Unkindest Cut
Kaieteur News – Building a pre-election coalition is never easy. It takes more than meetings. It takes more than deals.... more
Antigua and Barbuda hosts the OAS at a crucial juncture for the Americas
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – The 55th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organisation of American... more
Weekend Cartoon
