The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) party has moved to the High Court to challenge its exclusion from the ballots in three regions for the General Elections.

The challenge, which comes just two days before the members of the Disciplined Services go to the polls, also takes into account the omission of the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) from the ballots in four regions in the General Elections.

At a press conference today, Presidential Candidate for the Forward Guyana Movement, Amanza Walton-Desir explained that FGM has been excluded from ballots in Regions 7, 8, and 9, while the ALP is excluded from Regions 1, 2, 8 and 9.

She contends that the two parties have met all legal requirements to contest the General Elections.

She argues that GECOM’s exclusionary ballot practices violate Articles 59, 149, and 160 of the Constitution as well as provisions of the Representation of the People Act, and is taking place amid assurances by the Elections Commission, through its correspondences, that once parties contests in a minimum of six regions, they would be eligible to contest in the General Elections.  

“Electors in these regions are denied the opportunity to vote for duly approved national lists, contrary to Article 59 (the right to vote) and Article 160 (proportional representation),” Walton-Desir said.

She said the affected regions are predominantly inhabited by Guyana’s Indigenous Amerindian population and by excluding parties in those regions, it disproportionately burdens Amerindian voters, amounting to discrimination on the grounds of race and place of origin.

The FGM Presidential Candidate said the impact of GECOM’s decision would be grave, explaining that it would “artificially” reduce the total national votes available to excluded parties.

“GECOM’s practice distorts proportional allocation of seats in the National Assembly. Krystal Hadassah Fisher, a registered elector in Region 9 and candidate on the national list, the plaintiff, is arguing that GECOM’s ballot design is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and silences the voices of Indigenous and rural communities,” Walton-Desir said.

Through its attorney, Dr. Vivian Williams, FGM is calling on the Court to declare that elections held without full party inclusion are null and void.

It also wants to Court to order GECOM to refrain from excluding any duly qualified party from national ballots, and for GECOM to be directed to immediately include the Forward Guyana Movement List of Candidates in Regions 7, 8, and 9.

Walton-Desir said FGM will continue to hold GECOM accountable and to ensure that the elections are free and fair.

“This court challenge is not just about a technicality; it is about giving the people of Guyana the knowledge and the fair choices they need to make the right decision come September 1. When voters are denied the full truth of their options, democracy itself is weakened. Forward Guyana Movement stands as David against the Goliath of the ruling PPP and a complicit GECOM, insisting that every Guyanese, from the Hinterland to the Coast, deserves a fair chance to choose their future. This fight is about fairness, dignity, and ensuring that no community is silenced or treated as second-class in their own country,” Walton-Desir said.

With the application submitted to the Court, the party is now awaiting a date for a hearing.

(Svetlana Marshall)

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