THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has received 17 symbols thus far from political parties, voluntary groups and individuals seeking to contest the upcoming Local Government Elections.

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward, while disclosing that 17 symbols were submitted to the commission as of Tuesday, could not at the time indicate what percentage of the symbols was approved or what percentage came from individual candidates versus political parties and voluntary groups. All political parties, voluntary groups and individuals desirous of contesting the Local Government Elections on November 12, 2018, have one week to submit their symbols for approval by GECOM before Nomination Day. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, August 29, 2018.

Ward, on Tuesday, warned that any list of candidates submitted by any political party, voluntary group or individual candidate on Nomination Day without the pre-approved symbol will be deemed defective and the defaulting political party, voluntary group or individual candidate will be deemed ineligible to contest the elections.

“If you do not submit your symbols, then it doesn’t make any sense completing Nomination Day forms, because without a pre-approved symbol, you will not be allowed for Nomination Day,” Ward said.

In response to daily enquiries about the process for submitting symbols, the PRO said there is no form, but pertinent information is required.

“There is no prescribed form to submit the symbols. What the persons are required to do is to write a letter to the chief election officer requesting the approval of the symbol they submitted,” she explained, while reminding that applications for symbols must include both printed and electronic versions of the respective symbols.

The letter to the chief election officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield should also include information on the Local Authority Area (LAA) and or constituency being contested, along with contact information.

In a recent publication, GECOM explained that political parties or groups must contest all seats for the Proportional Representation component and must submit a list of candidates with 10 additional names, apart from the total number of councillors for the municipality or Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

In addition, only the names of candidates qualified to be councillors equal to the number of constituency seats which it intends to contest in LGEs must be submitted, while the name of an independent candidate can only be submitted for the seat he or she is contesting. GECOM outlined, too, that each list of candidates must be submitted on the prescribed form indicating name, address, ID number and occupation of each candidate and the names of candidates should be one below the other with surnames in alphabetical order.

The signature mark of each nominator must be stated, together with the name and the ID card number and each list of candidates must be accompanied by a declaration on the prescribed form, from each candidate contesting the election.
Nomination Day is September 21.