Democratic process for LGE’s Nomination Day gets underway

The democratic process took centre stage Monday morning as Nomination Day for the long-awaited Local Government Elections (LGE) got underway nationwide.

Several political parties and individual candidates contesting the elections gathered at strategic areas in all ten administrative regions to submit their list of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) returning officers.

GECOM has since reported that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) was the first party to submit its list of candidates for the Municipality of Georgetown.

PPP/C’s General Secretary, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said the party is contesting all 610 constituencies in Guyana.

“We have fielded over 2,000 candidates and we have about 26,000 backers so we are going into this big right across the country. As you know even in opposition, we were the only party who contested all the local government areas across Guyana. But this time around we have exceeded those,” the VP said.

He said his party’s list is inclusive, including youths and women.

“Our list represents Guyana. People of every race, every religion, and every gender, and that’s is what the PPP is about…it is about development,” Dr Jagdeo underscored.

The General Secretary said A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has been running the city for some 57 years since independence and it is time that the PPP/C get the chance to show Guyanese, particularly residents of Georgetown, how the city should be led.

Meanwhile, any lists not meeting the statutory requirements would be classified as defective, and the representative of the list would be allowed to correct those defects.

The statutory procedures following Nomination Day ensure that all legal requirements are met by the contestants for their List of Candidates to be approved to contest the elections.

LGEs are necessary for the appointment of persons in charge of local democratic organs.

Local democratic organs which include NDCs and municipalities provide a link between the central government and communities.

They are responsible for assessing the needs of residents and ensuring development at the community level.

This includes implementing and enforcing local laws such as building codes, zoning regulations, and business licensing requirements, maintaining roads and public spaces, and waste management, among others.

LGEs are therefore important, as they allow citizens to have a direct say in who will represent them and make decisions on their behalf at the local level.

It also gives citizens a voice in shaping the policies and priorities of their community and ensures that local government officials are held responsible to their constituents.