Georgetown, Guyana – August 23, 2025 – The High Court will on Monday, August 25, hear a constitutional challenge against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) over the exclusion of some political parties from ballots in certain regions.
The case, Krystal Hadassah Fisher v. GECOM, is scheduled before Chief Justice (Ag.) Navindra Singh in the Constitutional and Administrative Division of the Supreme Court of Judicature.
Fisher, a national candidate of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and a resident of Region Nine, argues that GECOM’s practice of omitting qualified parties from the ballot in Regions Seven, Eight, and Nine is unconstitutional. The Fixed Date Application contends that the exclusion violates citizens’ constitutional right to vote under Article 59, constitutes discrimination under Article 149, distorts proportional representation, and undermines the principles of representative and inclusionary democracy.
The application also claims that the practice denies qualified parties their right to ballot access, contrary to Article 160(1)(a) of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act.
Among the reliefs sought are declarations that any election conducted without the inclusion of all qualified parties on ballots in all ten regions would be null and void. The application also asks the court to order GECOM to ensure that all qualified parties, including FGM, are placed on ballots for the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
The Attorney General has applied to intervene in the matter, underscoring its constitutional significance. The intervention also contradicts claims by some government officials and their supporters that the case is frivolous.
The challenge raises questions about fairness, voter equality, and the right of all Guyanese to participate in free and fair elections.
