Leader of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Dr. Mark Defrance, is contemplating legal action over what he described as the prolonged failure by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to resolve critical issues.
These issues relate to the joinder of lists mechanism—a key provision that allows smaller political parties to combine electoral strength.
Speaking out on the matter following a meeting with GECOM on Thursday, Dr. Defrance expressed deep frustration over GECOM’s inaction, especially with elections on the horizon.
“ANUG has come to the determination that it’s only the court that will probably clarify this issue, given the fact that it is something that GECOM has spent two and a half years on…”
At the heart of the controversy is the lack of clear guidelines and safeguards governing the joinder of lists, a provision that gained prominence during the 2020 general elections.
That year, ANUG entered into a joint electoral arrangement with the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and The New Movement (TNM), which together secured a single parliamentary seat.
Under the informal agreement, the parties were to rotate occupying the seat. LJP’s Lenox Shuman took the first term, followed by TNM’s Dr. Asha Kissoon.
However, when it was time for Kissoon to resign and hand over the seat to ANUG, she refused to step down, effectively sidelining the party from parliamentary representation.
Just days after President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced September 1, 2025, as the date for general and regional elections, Dr. Kissoon publicly endorsed his leadership and threw her support behind the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for another term in office.
“This is a matter that needs to be addressed,” Dr. Defrance argued. “The joinder list is an option that may appeal to many, given that it is hard to contest in the general elections.”
He further criticised the Commission’s last-minute approach to addressing the issue.
“Now, in the 11th hour, they say it will be addressed at their next statutory meeting. If this was not resolved in over two years, how can it be properly addressed in a matter of days?” he questioned.
Alliance For Change (AFC) executive Beverley Alert has called for a postponement of the upcoming elections, citing the failure to address key concerns raised by smaller political parties.
Chief among those concerns is the unresolved issue of the joinder of lists, which Alert said was not adequately dealt with during Thursday’s stakeholder meeting.
Alert took aim at GECOM, criticising what she described as two years of inaction on the joinder of lists issue.
She voiced concern over the Commission’s credibility, stating that such prolonged delays have eroded her confidence in its ability to conduct free and fair elections.
She further suggested that the persistent failure to resolve the matter may not be accidental, but rather a deliberate effort to marginalise smaller parties and limit their meaningful participation in the electoral process.
Deputy Chief Election Officer Aneal Giddings acknowledged the urgency of the matter, describing it as a “burning issue.”
He confirmed that although the matter has been on the Commission’s agenda for more than two years, no concrete action has been taken.
Giddings assured that he will once again raise the matter at the Commission’s upcoming statutory meeting.
