Georgetown, Guyana, August 30, 2025 – The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has approved late submissions of polling and assistant agents from four political parties after they failed to meet the statutory deadline under the Representation of the People Act (ROPA).
At a special statutory meeting held on Saturday, August 30, GECOM agreed to accept the overdue notifications from the Alliance for Change (AFC), Assembly of Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), and the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party.
Section 24(2) of ROPA requires that parties provide notice of the appointment of polling and assistant agents no later than seven days before Election Day. The deadline passed earlier this week, prompting written appeals from the affected parties.
In a statement, GECOM said the decision was taken “in the interest of fairness and transparency, and to ensure the integrity of the process.”
Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud has since notified the parties and urged them to move swiftly to complete the accreditation of their agents with the respective Returning Officers, given the limited time before polls open on September 1.
The ruling offers relief to smaller and newer parties in particular, several of whom had earlier clashed with GECOM over strict interpretations of deadlines. For the Commission, the move is aimed at preserving confidence in the electoral process and preventing claims of exclusion or unfair treatment as the country heads into a high-stakes vote.
