Description: President Irfaan Ali and his People’s Progressive Party (PPP) have won the majority support in Guyana’s general elections. Ali would remain the country’s President, continuing to tackle issues regarding the distribution of national revenues from Guyana’s newly found oil resources, which have quadrupled the country’s GDP in the past five years. The PPP won approximately 243 thousand votes and increased the marginal majority in Guyana’s Parliament, however, in the country’s largest electoral district, designated District Four, the PPP would be forced to form a coalition with one of the smaller parties in order to govern the region. The quiet surprise was the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, formed by controversial businessman, Azrudin Mohamed, who is sanctioned by the US. WIN came second in the polls and toppled the A Party for National Unity (APNU) as the country’s main oppositional entity.
Impact: Incumbent President Irfaan Ali and his PPP extended their governmental mandate in a crucial period for the small South American country, which is facing issues of national revenue distribution and territorial tensions with Venezuela. The vast oil discoveries in the country made Guyana an attractive investment target for foreign private and state sponsored companies. Ali has so far used Guyana’s oil generated national revenue in capital projects such as infrastructure development, education and the healthcare system. Political opponents and critics of Ali have stated the President also favors proprietorships for investment where political interest from the PPP colludes with economic gains, while the majority of the country still lives in poverty. Despite the issue with redistribution of capital investments, Ali would also have to resolve the territorial dispute with Venezuela regarding the Essequibo region, where most of the discovered oil reserves in the country reside.