Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali declares victory in contentious election
President Irfaan Ali has declared victory in Guyana’s general election, claiming a second five-year mandate despite the fact that official results are yet to be formally released.
Preliminary tallies suggest Ali’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) won decisively, securing an estimated 242,000 votes and clear majorities in eight of the nation’s 10 electoral districts..
The newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, established just three months ago by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, placed second with about 109,000 votes, a surprising performance that has shaken the dominance of Guyana’s two traditional political blocs.
The long-standing opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), slipped into third place.
Ali, 45, campaigned on promises to channel Guyana’s vast oil wealth, discovered offshore by ExxonMobil in 2019, into poverty reduction, infrastructure expansion, and economic stability, while also managing rising territorial tensions with Venezuela.
Though voter turnout was lower than in 2020, PPP officials, including Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, have suggested the party is poised to secure a larger parliamentary majority in the 65-seat National Assembly than in the last election.
Oil dominated the campaign narrative. Since ExxonMobil’s discovery of billions of barrels of crude in Guyanese waters, the nation’s budget has quadrupled, turning Guyana, with a population of just 800,000, into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and the country with among the highest proven reserves per capita.
Critics, however, argue that the PPP has failed to ensure fair distribution of oil revenues, with accusations of favoritism toward groups aligned with the ruling party, allegations the government strongly denies.
Mohamed, leader of WIN, welcomed his party’s unprecedented gains but also raised concerns about “voting irregularities.”
International observers from the Organization of American States (OAS), who monitored the election, have yet to report any evidence of fraud.
The vote came just a day after Guyanese authorities reported that a boat carrying election officials and ballot boxes was fired upon from across the border in the disputed Essequibo region, a territory rich in oil and minerals that is claimed by both Guyana and Venezuela. Caracas has denied any involvement in the incident.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali declares victory in contentious election
