Georgetown, Guyana — The Horizon and Star Party will not be contesting the September 1 elections after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) rejected its list of candidates.
This was confirmed by GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj, who made the announcement via social media, stating that of the seven parties that submitted nominations on Nomination Day, only six were approved.
With Horizon and Star officially out of the race, the six parties cleared to appear on the ballot are: People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Alliance For Change (AFC), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), Forward Guyana, Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), The PPP/C, APNU, AFC, and WIN will contest all ten regions.
Forward Guyana will compete in seven regions, while ALP will contest in six. Each party has put forward a presidential candidate: President Dr Irfaan Ali (PPP/C), Aubrey Norton (APNU), Nigel Hughes (AFC), Azruddin Mohamed (WIN), Amanza Walton-Desir (Forward Guyana), and Simona Broomes (ALP).
GECOM has given parties until July 21 to notify the Commission of any Joinder of Lists. This allows parties to combine their vote totals in hopes of gaining seats in Parliament.The final and approved party lists, titles, and symbols will be made public on July 23, GECOM said.Meanwhile, preparations for the elections continue.
Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud noted that now that the lists are cleared, ballot papers will be printed overseas. GECOM is also preparing for Disciplined Services Voting, which will take place ten days before the national vote.
