GECOM wants seat-allocation guidelines for joiners

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is seeking to discuss with all political parties contesting the General and Regional Elections, regulations which guide the allocation of seats in the National Assembly, for parties who have joined lists.

On January 18, 2020, the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM) entered into a joiner of lists which will see their votes being counted collectively after elections. In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, TNM Presidential Candidate, Dr. Asha Kissoon, stated that the parties had worked out an agreement for the allocation of seats should they gain three or less, GECOM wants something concrete to guide the process.

Kissoon had explained, “Basically, which ever party in the three has the most votes has their seat and the extra votes will be put together for another seat.”
However, GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, stated that this is the first time that Guyana’s elections will see a joiner of lists and the commission must have some standard guideline on the same.

“The joiner is provided for under law and, therefore, we have no option but to accept the joiner. What I think is required is for us to have some regulation that would ensure how the joiner is administered after elections. We know how it is administered before [elections], the normal electoral process, [but] how it’s administered after is the question,” he said on Tuesday.

Commissioner, Bibi Shadick agreed: “There are no regulations to deal with joiners; it never happened. So, they have to look at the law…usually it’s the head of the list that identifies the person to take the seat but now it’s three heads so we don’t know what will happen there but that is being looked at.”

Questioned on whether the arrangement made between the three parties for the allocations of possible seats can be used, Alexander said that this may not be final. “I don’t think that anything is final in that regard but I would say that it is understood that in coming up with whatever they come up with that the parties would be integral to that determination. They will not be left out and it would not only be the parties who have joined but all parties that are contesting will be a part of the consultation so we have a mutual understanding as to how we implement that which is new to us,” he stated.

“The question of who becomes the picked candidate has to be determined in a manner that is not conflictual. GECOM has to give some guidelines in that regard and I think GECOM has undertaken to ensure that before we get to that point, those guidelines are developed.”

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