OFFICIALLY declared results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections, as well as related disclosures, were supposed to have been gazetted on Tuesday, according to a legal stipulation.However, legal provisions also allow the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to extend that time.

Section Five of the Representation of the People Act states that: “Where under this act any act is required to be done not later than a specified number of days before election day, the Commission may by direction under its hand, if it deems it requisite or desirable so to do, extend the time allowed by reducing the number of days so specified and the following provisions shall have effect in relation to that power…(c) the Commission shall as soon as practicable after any exercise of the power, publish in the Gazette a notification thereof, which shall include a brief statement of the reason for, and the effect of, that exercise.”
GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, told the Guyana Chronicle that the body’s Commissioners will meet next Tuesday, June 2, to decide on the lengths of the extension.
“We have the right, by law, at GECOM to extend the time. When the Commission meets that will be decided,” he said.

NO SUBMISSIONS
The fact that the election results have not been gazetted as yet, according to GECOM’s legal officer, Juanita Barker, is due to the fact that the two major contesting political parties have not yet submitted the names of their Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Commission.
The submission of these names is part of the disclosures that must be made in gazetting the election results, according to Section 99 of the Representation of the People Act.
The law states that: “As soon as possible, but no later than 15 days after Election Day, the Commission shall publicly declare the results of the election and shall cause to be published in the Gazette a notification thereof, specifying the number of votes cast for each list of candidates; the number of rejected ballot papers; the number of seats allocated to each list of candidates; and the names of the persons who, as a result of the election, have become members of the National Assembly.”
The current A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Administration scored a close victory in the General and Regional Elections with 207,200 votes, while the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) secured the support of 202,694 Guyanese who cast their votes in support of the party.
Given the results of the elections, APNU+AFC secured a representation of 33 MPs in the 65-seat National Assembly, while the PPP/C secured 32 seats – a one- seat minority.
Barker, when asked, told the Guyana Chronicle that the two political parties have committed to making their submissions.

HEADS OF LISTS
Heading the APNU+AFC list of candidates – the Representative of the List – is Professor Harold Lutchman, a constitutional lawyer and academic; while former president Mr Donald Ramotar heads the PPP/C list of candidates.
The Representative of the List is responsible for submitting the names of candidates to the Chief Elections Officer for extraction so that they could be sworn in as parliamentarians after an election. The head of the list also plays that role if someone has to be replaced due to resignation, death or recall.
Contesting political parties were permitted to submit three separate lists on Nomination Day. These Lists of Candidates are in respect of: Geographical Constituencies Lists; National Top-up Lists; and Regional Democratic Council Lists. In accordance with the electoral system of Proportional Representation, in order to qualify for a seat in the National Assembly, contesting parties must contest a minimum of six (6) of the Geographical Constituencies – totalling at least 13 seats for eligibility to contest and submit Geographical Constituencies lists and National Top-up Lists. This arrangement provided for that qualified contesting party to submit on Nomination Day (April 7), two separate Lists of Candidates. Any contesting political party could have contested the election of members of any of the 10 Regional Democratic Councils. For this purpose, Lists of Candidates were submitted.
The 65 Members of the National Assembly, relative to representation in the House, were decided on the basis of the outcome of the General and Regional elections, and who those individuals are will be based on the names submitted, via the Lists of Candidates.
In the 10th Parliament, which was convened on January 12, 2012, the PPP/C held 32 of the 65 seats, while APNU held 26 seats and the AFC held seven seats.

By Vanessa Narine