GECOM Modifies Nomination Form Ahead of Elections, Opposition Parties Cry Foul Over Timing
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has approved a modified version of the nomination form required for submission by political parties ahead of the September 1, 2025, General and Regional Elections. The updated form, proposed by Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud, aims to ensure the authenticity of nominators’ signatures, a move GECOM says is in the interest of electoral transparency.
In a statement released Friday, GECOM confirmed that the form is statutorily required for candidates contesting on the national top list, geographic constituency list, and the regional democratic council list.
While People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive member Ganesh Mahipal has welcomed the effort to safeguard the process against fraudulent signatures, he expressed deep concern over the timing of the decision.
“What this change seeks to do is to ensure there are authentic signatures. History has shown it is only the People’s Progressive Party that has ever engaged in fraudulent signatures,” Mahipal charged.
He criticized the commission for acting “irresponsibly” by implementing the change “at the last minute”, noting that many opposition parties had already completed the process using the original forms.
“Now we have to go and redo the very work we did just a couple of weeks ago,” Mahipal lamented, citing additional costs and manpower now required.
Despite the setback, Mahipal assured that the APNU will meet all deadlines and be fully prepared for the elections.
“We will be going out again. We will be ready for these elections—and we will defeat the PPP and take government come September.”
Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman David Patterson echoed similar concerns, noting that while the intent of the update is not objectionable, the timing is problematic.
“On the face of it, it is not a problem. But you can’t do that four weeks before nomination day—three weeks after we’ve already sent people out at great expense,” Patterson said.
With Nomination Day set for July 14, political parties are now racing against the clock to revalidate their submissions under the new format.
