THE Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) on Wednesday disclosed that it has filed a fixed date application in the high court challenging the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) over what it describes as their omission from ballots for the upcoming election in regions where they are not listed as contesting at the regional level.
At a press conference, leader of the party Amanza Walton-Desir told members of the press that the application seeks relief under Part 56 of the Civil Procedure rules, “arguing that GECOM’s exclusionary ballot practices violate Articles 59, 149 and 160†of Guyana’s Constitution and the Representation of the People Act.
Walton-Desir noted that both her party and the Assembly of Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) were excluded from ballots in several regions.
She went on to add that the fixed date application contends that the omissions deny electors in those regions the right to vote for duly approved national lists, which the party says is in breach of constitutional guarantees on the right to vote and proportional representation.
Further to this, she added that indigenous communities predominantly inhabit the regions, and their exclusion amounts to discrimination.
Walton-Desir stated that the plaintiff in the matter is a candidate of the party, Krystal Hadassah Fisher, who is a registered elector in Region Nine.
The application filed by Attorney Vivian Williams seeks several declarations, including a declaration that elections held without full party inclusion are null and void, an order restraining GECOM from excluding any duly qualified party from national ballots, and a directive for the immediate inclusion of the FGM’s candidates in Regions Seven, Eight, and Nine.
Following nomination day in July, GECOM officially approved the candidacy of six political parties to contest the upcoming election.
At that time, it was noted that only four of the six parties had submitted candidate lists for all ten electoral districts in the Regional Elections.
It was reported that the ALP will only contest in Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10, while FGM had opted to contest in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
According to a lawyer, the legal action filed by the Forward Guyana Movement raises serious questions.
He explained that it seems unusual to demand a place on ballots in regions where a party has not submitted candidates. Under Guyana’s electoral laws, inclusion on a regional ballot requires that the party first meets the established criteria—such as presenting candidates and obtaining the necessary backers in that region. Without fulfilling those requirements, GECOM is not
obligated to list the party. Expecting votes from regions where no candidates are contesting appears inconsistent with both the Representation of the People Act and the principle of proportional representation.
