January 26 is Nomination Day for local gov’t polls

Nomination Day for local government elections (LGE) will be on January 26 next year, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has disclosed.

In an ad in the Sunday Stabroek, GECOM said that all political parties, voluntary groups, and individual candidates who are desirous of contesting local government elections on March 18th are required by law to submit a symbol for approval by GECOM before Nomination Day. It said that applications for symbols, which must include printed and electronic versions of the respective symbols must be submitted to GECOM no later than January 5, 2016.

The ad said that any list of candidates submitted by any political party, voluntary group or individual candidate on Nomination Day, without the required pre-approved symbol, will be deemed defective and the defaulting political party, voluntary group, or individual candidate will be deemed ineligible to contest the LGE.

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan announced last month that local government elections, which have been delayed for almost two decades, would be run off on March 18th next year. The polls, which will be held in the nine towns and 62 NDCs, have not been held since 1994, although the constitution stipulates that they are to be held every three years.