The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) recently wrapped up extensive discussions regarding the joinder of political party lists and the process for filling vacancies in the National Assembly. In a press release following their statutory meeting, GECOM clarified that their decisions were grounded in legal regulations.
Under Section 22(1) of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), political party candidate lists can be combined to facilitate seat allocation within Parliament. It’s essential to note that while ballots are cast separately for each party, the combined lists are treated as a single entity for the purpose of securing seats.
For seat distribution, GECOM outlined that the valid votes across the combined lists are summed, and the total number of valid votes cast across all contender lists is used to establish an electoral quota by dividing by 65. The combined total must ensure that the groups gain representation; if successful, the allocation of seats will rely on the votes received divided by the established electoral quota. In cases of surplus votes, the party with the most will receive the extra seat, while single-seat wins will go to the party with the highest votes.
Furthermore, each party maintains its own Representative and Deputy Representative, responsible for selecting candidates to fill the allocated seats. In situations where a parliamentary seat is vacated, GECOM specified that it should be filled by a suitable candidate from the same list as the original member, ensuring continuity in representation.
Source: guyanachronicle.com
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