–kick-starts Guyana’s 2020 Regional and General Elections

ON Friday, January 10, was Nomination Day for the upcoming Regional and General Elections on March 2. Here, thousands of Guyanese came out in their numbers and colours to show support for the political parties they are in favour of.

It seemed as though the smaller political parties were really intent on giving the established parties a run for their money. Since Wednesday night, representatives dressed in their party colours (all colours of the rainbow save for the yellow, green and red), camped outside of Umana Yana to secure a spot to submit their list of candidates as early as possible – when the clock struck 13:00 hours on Friday.

By Friday morning, flags and banners of political parties were ubiquitous. The environs of Umana Yana were decorated, and almost ominously awaiting the arrival of those political parties. Some 19 parties submitted their symbols to compete in the elections, 14 of which were said to be new parties. At the end of the day, however, only some 11 parties had made an appearance at Kingston.

But it wasn’t at Umana Yana where the real action kicked off. Rather, it was in greater Georgetown, at Parade Ground, where the supporters of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition gathered and made their way to Kingston.

Their March was a mix of feet stomping to the beat of the marching band, and to music blasting over the stereo. Whichever beat the supporters followed, one thing was certain: their chant of “Forward ever, backward never” and their endorsement of President David Granger was the message they wanted to send. The sea of yellow and green immersed the environs of Umana Yana, and when President Granger and few of his ministers – including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, made their way into the building to present their list of candidates, the airwaves were filled with deafening screams of support.

The coalition was the first to submit their list, after being at the Umana Yama since Tuesday evening. This list, President Granger said, would be the “winning list” after the March 2 elections. After the coalition made its way back to Parade ground for an address by President Granger, the smaller parties trickled in to submit their lists. The United Republican Party (URP) was the first, followed by A New and United Guyana (ANUG). The leaders of both parties, businessman Vishnu Bandu and Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, respectively, were joined by a small entourage. Both leaders declared that their parties would be the next government of Guyana.

However, as these smaller parties made their rounds in the compound of Umana Yana to speak with the various media houses, particularly ‘Chronicle Live’, hundreds of supporters dressed in red arrived at the Kingston venue. It was the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) crowd that came with their leaders to submit their list as well. The PPP/C crowd made its way from Freedom house, and like the APNU+AFC coalition, they too made their way back to their starting point.

With minor skirmishes taking place on the road, the rest of the day’s proceedings passed by smoothly. The other smaller and new parties were able to submit their lists, as Change Guyana’s ‘big bus’– parked in front of the Presidential Candidate, Robert Badal’s Pegasus Hotel, – blasted Soca and belated Reggae Christmas tunes to keep the place lively.

His intermittent political messages blasted there as well were not lost in the heat of the day.
Not too long after 17:00 hours, when the event was finished, the garbage that was left around the Umana Yana by the massive crowds was cleared away, full kudos to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.