It is believed that close to 60% of Guyana’s voting population consists of young people between the ages of 18 and 35. The Political parties have been focusing heavily on the youth vote as they roll out their plans and vision for the country.

On Friday at a media briefing, some of the youth candidates on the APNU+AFC list made it clear that they intend to hold their leaders accountable for promises and assurances that would have been given during the elections campaign.

APNU+AFC Candidate, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley said “I will be holding them to the standards that they have set and the promises that they would have made. “

She added that as young people, while they look up to their leaders, they should also hold leaders accountable to what they have been saying during the elections campaign.

“I will be ensuring that whatever they say now, that they act on it and you will hear if they don’t”, Sarabo-Halley said.

Another youth candidate, Malika Ramsey said the APNU+AFC youths understand the role that they have to play in holding their leaders accountable. She said the APNU+AFC has been calling for youths to be involved in every level of government  and once the coalition makes up the next government, she believes youths ought to be consulted on any major decision making and it should not just be limited to youths within the party or government.

The coalition has been hosting a number of youth rallies and outreaches across the country and has also been making efforts to educate young people more about the voting process and the importance of casting their ballot.

There have been reports in some parts of the country that some young people were being approached and being being offered payments for their national identification cards.

While the national ID card is not the only form of identity that could be used for voting, the APNU+AFC has been calling on young people to resist any such temptation and file reports against anyone making such an offer.

APNU+AFC youth activist and candidate Mark Ross told the media briefing that while there may be no confirmation of the reports, it should worry political parties and the election commission enough, for them to launch a probe into the allegations.

The draft APNU+AFC manifesto focuses heavily on youth development and education. The coalition believes that Guyana’s”broken education system” is one of the biggest problems facing the country today.

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