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Published : 04 Sep 2025, 10:08 AM
Guyana's ruling People's Progressive Party won more than twice as many votes as its nearest rival in the country's general election, setting it up for a parliamentary majority and another term for incumbent President Irfaan Ali.
PPP notched 242,451 votes in Monday's general election, a total of electoral commission figures for each of the country's 10 districts showed.
The PPP had a majority in eight of the districts. The electoral commission has not yet confirmed how many seats in parliament any of the parties will have.
The figures showed a shake-up for the South American country's opposition - the upstart We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, which was founded just three months ago by business magnate Azruddin Mohamed, was second in votes, winning 109,015 votes and a majority in two districts.
Long-time opposition heavyweights A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) were trailing with 77,973 votes nationwide.
Voting to choose 65 members of parliament and a government came after a campaign focused on how riches from the country's hydrocarbon boom should be spent.
The country of 800,000 people has earned some $7.5 billion in revenue from oil sales and royalties since ExxonMobil started pumping offshore oil in late 2019, making Guyana one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
Ali's government, which took power in 2020, has funnelled oil revenue into building roads, schools and hospitals, and made studying at the state university free.
But opposition parties have decried what they say is the unfair distribution of oil earnings to groups connected to the PPP. The PPP denies the allegation.
"The PPP will go into the national assembly with a bigger majority than it did in 2020. That's very clear from the trend you're seeing," PPP general secretary and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told local media on Tuesday.
WIN leader Mohamed was sanctioned by the US last year over allegations that he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, defrauded the Guyanese government of tax revenue and bribed public officials. They deny any wrongdoing.
Mohamed has attracted grassroots support, especially among poor and Indigenous communities, through his philanthropy and WIN has called for fairer access to housing and opportunities for everyone.
Mohamed celebrated his new party's success in remarks on Wednesday afternoon, but also alleged voting irregularities.
"We in the WIN party, a 90-day-old movement, have shaken the pillars of Guyana's political establishment," Mohamed said.
"Within the past few days, we have had numerous and credible reports of great irregularities in the conduct of these 2025 elections," he added, accusing the PPP of using government resources for campaigning and saying WIN has requested recounts.
The leader of the APNU also said he was sceptical of some results in his party's traditional strongholds and had asked for recounts in three districts.
Election observers from the Organization of American States and the Commonwealth have not flagged any major reports of electoral fraud.
Though turnout was lower by about 37,000 votes than in the 2020 contest, the PPP appeared to have increased its vote share, while the APNU, which was part of a coalition in 2020, seemed to have led supporters to WIN.
