THE United Republican Party’s presidential candidate, Dr Vishnu Bandhu, has been given the green light by the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) to lead his party in the upcoming March 2 elections as its Presidential candidate, the party said in a release.

The controversy surrounding United Republican Party’s [URP’s] presidential candidate, Dr. Vishnu Bandhu’s legal right to lead the URP into the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections has been put to rest by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

GECOM, in a letter to the URP presidential candidate, advised him that his name will remain on the party’s list of candidates. In a release, Dr. Bandhu and the URP believe that the Guyanese electorate has been given peace of mind now that he has been given the green light to lead the Third Force into the elections. The party’s presidential candidate has been resolute that his timing in relinquishing his allegiance to the United States of America (USA) was done within the legal framework under the constitution of Guyana.

The URP leader is of the opinion that the media have involved the subject in sensational reporting and has misled the electorate when they reported that he was disqualified and his name would be removed from the list. “GECOM had never issued a definitive statement on the matter until February 5, 2020, which stated categorically that Dr. Bandhu will remain a candidate on the URP list. The media had speculated all along that the removal was imminent. The party believes that the commissioners sitting on the GECOM board fueled the media with assumptions that were misleading.”

The United Republican Party (URP) is of the opinion that their, the URP’s, absence contesting the General and Regional Elections is, in essence, the absence of a Third Force. The party believes that the electorate needs an alternative to the two major political parties that have led the country for the past 5 decades. The party is elated that their presidential candidate remains on the list of candidates.