By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
The Court of Appeal on Thursday dismissed a case filed by the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), which challenged the Guyana Elections Commission’s decision to exclude the party from the national ballot in three administrative regions during the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
The appeal was brought by Krystal Fisher of Region Nine on behalf of the FGM against GECOM and the Attorney General.
Delivering the ruling, acting Chancellor of the Judiciary Roxane George explained that the application was filed less than two days before the Disciplined Services were scheduled to vote. She said the nature of the challenge amounted to questioning the validity of the elections, which under Article 163 of the Constitution must be done through an election petition — not by ordinary appeal.
The Chancellor stressed that neither the Court of Appeal nor the High Court had jurisdiction to hear the case, and that proceeding further would be purely academic.
Agreeing with the earlier ruling of the Chief Justice, the Court found that FGM’s application had no merit. It ruled that ballot access and voting rights are constitutionally tied to parties contesting in geographical constituencies. GECOM’s actions, the Court emphasized, did not violate Articles 59 or 159 of the Constitution.
The judges concluded that FGM was not denied ballot access as an elector or political party, but had disadvantaged itself by choosing not to contest in all ten constituencies. As such, the responsibility for excluding supporters in certain regions lay with the party itself.
Chancellor George also found that GECOM correctly applied the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act in preparing ballots, criticizing the applicant for relying on “fragments of constitutional provisions” to support misguided views.
The Court dismissed the appeal as unmeritorious, ordering the appellant to pay $1 million in costs each to GECOM and the Attorney General by November 14, 2025.
The matter was heard by Chancellor George along with Justices of Appeal Nareshwar Harnanan and Rishi Persaud.
