|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has fixed 1 September 2025 as the date for the next general and regional elections, marking a pivotal moment for the South American nation.
President Dr Irfaan Ali announced on Sunday night that Guyana’s general and regional elections will take place on 1 September.
The Guyanese head of state made the announcement during his presidential address on 26 May, the 59th anniversary of Guyana’s independence. This year’s anniversary celebrations are taking place at Albion, Berbice.
Dr Ali said the decision comes after he engaged the chairwoman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (retired) Claudette Singh, and that he has been assured of the commission’s readiness to hold elections on this date.
The election will run as Guyana experiences unprecedented economic growth, fuelled by offshore oil discoveries, alongside decades-old ethnic tensions and lingering debates over resource management.
The 2025 polls will test the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and its challengers in a political landscape historically divided along ethnic lines.
The opposition’s biggest challenge appears to be fundraising, necessary for effective campaign organisation. With about half of the Guyanese population living overseas, mainly in the United States, Canada and England, APNU-AFC is relying more on donations from citizens living abroad.
Major players and new entrants
PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic)
– Ideology: Centre-left, traditionally representing the Indo-Guyanese majority (40% of the population).
– Leader: President Irfaan Ali, 43, a technocrat focused on leveraging oil wealth for infrastructure and social programmes. His administration has overseen GDP growth exceeding 60% in 2022, driven by ExxonMobil-led oil projects.
– Base: Stronghold in rural Indo-Guyanese communities and coastal regions. But Irfaan Ali’s warm and hearty personality is seen as a major crossover magnet.
The party’s general secretary is Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who has drastically reduced his vice-presidential role to concentrate more on party organisation and election readiness.
APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change)
– Ideology: Centre-right coalition, drawing support from Afro-Guyanese (40%) and urban voters.
– Leader: Aubrey Norton, 60, a veteran political strategist who emphasises anti-corruption and inclusive governance. Norton succeeded David Granger after the coalition’s 2020 loss. He is seen to be a fantastic mobiliser of grass-roots support.
However, his critics speak of his difficulty in reaching out beyond the colour divide and even appealing to the middle class in general. There is a push to maintain him as leader but to present another candidate for the presidential ticket.
Amanza Walton-Desir, MP, lawyer and shadow minister for foreign affairs, is seen as a strong alternative flagbearer for APNU-AFC for the September contest. But with such small electoral margins, Guyanese elections are won or lost mainly on who is best in mobilising their support base to get out to vote.
– Base: Urban centres such as Georgetown and traditional Afro-Guyanese strongholds are Aubrey Norton’s strong base.
Minor parties
– The New Movement (TNM) and Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), led by figures such as Lenox Shuman, an advocate for youth engagement and indigenous rights. Although unlikely to win major seats, they could influence policy debates.
Current government: boom and criticism
The PPP/C government has prioritised infrastructure (for instance, road expansion, housing projects) and cash transfers to offset rising living costs. This is visibly changing the landscape of Guyana and increasingly the impact on social mobility is being felt. However, critics highlight:
– Ethnic divisions: perceptions of favouritism toward Indo-Guyanese communities.
– Oil governance: concerns over transparency in awarding oil contracts and fears of a “resource curse”. Opposition parties argue revenues are not distributed equitably, a charge that the ruling party denies vehemently.
Boosted by unprecedented revenues from the world’s largest oil discovery in a generation, the Irfaan Ali government’s performance in terms of accelerated development is unmatched in the South American country.
The government says it is not simply about having resources but the capacity to manage them to transform a nation. This, they argue, has been the focus over the past five years.
Previous elections: a history of razor-thin margins
– 2020 elections: PPP/C won narrowly with 50.69% versus APNU+AFC’s 47.34% after a five-month recount and legal battles. The result ended APNU+AFC’s one-term rule. Critics say this was shocking after the party had been in opposition since the 1990s and the Grainger victory of 2015 was blessed with massive oil discoveries, an opportunity that was squandered at the polls in 2020, when first oil was in the offing.
– 2015 elections: APNU+AFC’s victory broke the PPP/C’s 23-year hold on power, driven by strong anti-corruption sentiment. However that victory was also razor-thin, with the carpet-crossing of one MP during a vote of no confidence triggering a constitutional crisis and accusations of unconstitutional rule in the last year of Grainger’s government.
Leaders in focus
Irfaan Ali (PPP/C): A former housing minister, Dr Ali has had a tenure defined by rapid economic expansion. Critics argue his policies exacerbate ethnic polarisation. His counter is his push for a One Guyana of shared prosperity, which Aubrey Norton of APNU-AFC has described as an “empty slogan”.
Aubrey Norton (APNU+AFC): A grass-roots organiser, Norton faces internal strains in his coalition but has energised the base with calls for unity and accountability.
Lenox Shuman (LJP): An indigenous leader and former air-traffic controller, Shuman champions environmental sustainability and minority rights.
2025 analysis: oil, ethnicity and equity
This year’s election will hinge on:
Economic management: Can the PPP/C convince voters that oil wealth is trickling down? Their strategy appears to be to point to the infrastructural projects visible across the country, especially in heavily populated areas, and link them to enhancing people’s lives.
Ethnic mobilisation: Will Norton broaden APNU+AFC’s appeal beyond Afro-Guyanese voters? That is the biggest challenge facing the opposition. Their target appears to be to show to the poor across ethnic lines that the benefits of oil production have not trickled down to them.
Youth and indigenous voters: The biggest challenge for the two main political blocs is the youth bulge. A growing demographic (60% under 35) are increasingly impatient and appear sceptical of the established political status quo.
The Gen Zs especially do not seem to have necessarily followed the old order of voting on ethnic lines. They seem more interested in leaders who can deliver them good jobs with good pay. Their growing cynicism with the political class will be a major factor and may shift dynamics if smaller parties gain traction.
Regional implications
Guyana’s stability is critical, amid Venezuela’s renewed territorial claims over the oil-rich Essequibo region. A peaceful election could bolster its global standing as an emerging energy player.
A free, fair and peaceful election is one thing on which the Guyanese people across the various divides are united.
As Guyana approaches the 2025 general election, the stakes transcend domestic politics. The election will determine whether the nation can harness its oil boom for inclusive growth, or if it will succumb to entrenched divisions.
With the two main parties neck-and-neck in past contests, the race promises to be a historic showdown.
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
