A total of 62 symbols were submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by the August 29 deadline, by parties and individuals desirous of contesting the November 12 local government elections though not all have been approved as yet.
Of those submitted, GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward told Stabroek News, seven symbols were submitted by political parties including the Alliance for Change, the People’s National Congress Reform and the People’s Progressive Party. Twenty one voluntary/community groups and 31 individual candidates/independents also made submissions.
Of the submissions, Ward said, “a few” were returned for adjustments. Today is the deadline for resubmission.
When approval has been given to all candidates, she said, the list of the symbols along with the parties, voluntary groups and individuals, will be published.
Once the approval is given, Ward is advising candidates to fill out the requisite forms which can be downloaded from GECOM’s website. The forms are also available at the 80 offices of the returning officers countrywide.
These offices will be opened from 2:30pm to 7pm, Mondays to Fridays and from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Political parties and voluntary groups contesting the proportional representation component of the Local Government Elections must complete their list of candidates using Form 12 accompanied by Form 13,” she said.
“In the case of individuals contesting the first-past-the-post constituency component of the Local Government Elections,” she said, “they must complete forms 12 (A) and 13 (A).”
Nomination Day is Friday, September 21. On Nomination Day, the list of candidates must be submitted to the offices of the returning officers. The time will be announced.
Ward noted that along with the forms that are available on the website, is a video detailing how the forms are to be filled out. The list of all the local authorities, the names of the presiding officers and their offices, which have been published in the dailies, are also found on the website. Also to be found on the website is the numbers of signatures of nominators required for each candidate or party/group.
