Nomination Day, Monday, July 14, marks the official start of Guyana’s General and Regional Elections season, set for September 1. But instead of signaling a clean democratic process, today unfolds amid controversy, violence, and deepening political tensions.
Despite public eagerness to cast their votes, confidence in the process is waning. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is under intense scrutiny for failing to produce a clean voters list and for not implementing biometric safeguards, critical tools to prevent voter fraud. Critics say these omissions cast a long shadow over the legitimacy of the upcoming elections.
Beginning at 10:00 a.m., political parties will submit their Candidates Lists to GECOM, but the atmosphere is anything but businesslike. Parties are assembling at different points across Georgetown, then marching in colourful, carnival-style processions toward GECOM’s High Street office. With flags, music, slogans, and a show of force in full swing, the day will take on a Mashramani-like mood.
Beneath the spectacle lies a fractured and increasingly unpredictable political field. A record 22 parties have registered to contest the polls, with many eyeing a share of the vote in a historically polarised landscape. The most surprising player is Azruddin Mohamed and his upstart party We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), which has shaken up the race with growing grassroots momentum.
WIN’s emergence threatens to disrupt the traditional dominance of the two political giants: the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), the opposition People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR-APNU), and to a lesser extent the Alliance For Change (AFC), now going solo.
Other notable entrants include Forward Guyana Movement, led by former PNCR parliamentarian Amanza Walton-Desir, and the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), headed by ex-minister Simona Broomes.
Adding to the intrigue is the mystery surrounding prime ministerial picks. While PPP/C and APNU have announced their candidates, the others remain tight-lipped. Though not required by law, naming a running mate has been standard since the late Cheddi Jagan did so in 1992.
Meanwhile, the campaign trail has already turned violent. PPP/C has come under fire for a series of clashes involving its supporters. Reports indicate that during recent campaign activities, PPP/C loyalists, some wielding cutlasses and sticks, attacked each other.
WIN supporters have also been targeted. Their outreach events have been disrupted, their flags trampled, and several members physically assaulted. Alarmingly, some of the attackers are said to be 10-day government workers, raising fresh concerns about state-sponsored intimidation.
The AFC has publicly decried what it calls “new and unprecedented rules” from GECOM for Nomination Day that appear to favour the governing PPP/C. Requests for clarification have reportedly been ignored.
All roads, literally and politically, lead to GECOM’s High Street headquarters today. But the festivity of Nomination Day cannot mask a sobering reality: the 2025 elections may already be compromised.
