Parties ready for March 2 elections

─following Candidate lists submission

─ official approval by GECOM later this week

DPI, Guyana, Monday, January 13, 2020

With Nomination day over, thirteen political parties are set to contest the March 2, 2020 polls.

While the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will later this week give the official approval of the lists, the parties are anticipating going to the polls.

The A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) is led by President David Granger and Prime Ministerial Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan. The party will be contesting in all 10 administrative regions for both the General and Regional Elections.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), with Presidential candidate Irfaan Ali and Prime Ministerial candidate, (ret’d) Brigadier Mark Phillips will be contesting all regions in both elections.

Following the two larger parties is the United Republican Party (URP) with Presidential Candidate Vishnu Bandu. The party leader did not announce his running mate for this year’s poll. URP will also be contesting all regions in both the General and Regional Elections.

Unlike the URP, newly formed party, A New and United Guyana (ANUG) will only be contesting the coastal regions. Presidential candidate Ralph Ramkarran said Regions 1, 8 and 9 are out. A Prime Ministerial candidate was not announced. ANUG reportedly split from the Federal United Party (FED-UP) a few hours before the list of candidates was submitted to GECOM last Friday.

A group of young Guyanese with the title The New Movement (TNM)is being led by Presidential candidate Dr. Ashley Kissoon and Prime Ministerial candidate Dr. Gerald Forde. They will be contesting Regions 3, 4, 5, 6,8 and 10.

Another young party, the Citizen Initiative (TCI) led by Rhonda Ann Lam will be seeking votes from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.

Meanwhile, Change Guyana (CG) will be contesting in all regions except 1, 7 and 8, according to Presidential candidate Robert Badal. The party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate Nigel Hinds on Sunday renounced his participation in the elections due to his dual citizenship status.

The Berbice based FED-UP party will only be contesting the regional elections in regions five and six, while the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) led by Lennox Shuman, will only be contesting Regions 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9.

The People’s Republic Party with presidential candidate Timothy Norton will be contesting all regions expect 7, 8 and 9, while the Organisation for the Victory of the People led by Gerald Perreira will only be contesting in Region 4.

The Guyana National Service Party (GNSP) is led by Arthur Fredricks, while the National Independent Party’s (NIP) presidential candidate is Saphier Hussain.

At the close of nomination day activities last Friday, GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield noted that the process was smooth. GECOM is now continuing its work.

“The tasks to be completed are (now) internal. The parties will be made aware after the commission has pronounced on the submissions I will make to the commission for approval or non-approval.”

Lowenfield used the opportunity to encouraged citizens to use this period to ensure their biographic data is correct on the Revised List of Electors (RLE) currently posted in their respective polling division.