In brief
President Irfaan Ali of Guyana has claimed victory in the recent general election, indicating that his party gained significant ground. With over 242,000 votes counted, Ali's People's Progressive Party (PPP) dominated in eight of the ten districts. The newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party came in second. As Guyana continues to leverage its substantial oil reserves, the government faces challenges including opposition accusations of unfair practices and ongoing disputes with Venezuela over borders.
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali has claimed a second five-year term in office, even as official final results from Monday's general election are yet to be published.
Ali's People's Progressive Party (PPP) secured at least 242,000 votes in the poll, claiming majorities in eight of the ten districts in the South American country, according to Reuters news agency.
The new political party We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), founded just three months ago, came in second with around 109,000 votes.
Ali, 45, campaigned on a pledge to use the country's vast oil reserves, discovered in 2019, to improve infrastructure and reduce poverty, while navigating territorial tensions with neighbor Venezuela.
It is not yet clear how many seats each party will have in the 65-member parliament, but the current vice-president, Bharrat Jagdeo, told local media that the PPP would have a bigger majority than at the last election in 2020.
Despite a lower turnout than at the last election, the PPP appeared to have increased its vote share - while the long-term opposition A Partnership for National Unity trailed in third.
Much of this election centered on how parties would manage revenues from massive oil reserves discovered by the oil giant ExxonMobil in 2019. Since then, the company has found billions of barrels of oil in Guyanese waters, quadrupling the state budget.
With a population of about 800,000, Guyana now has one of the highest levels of proven crude oil reserves per capita and is one of the fastest-growing economies in the region.
However, opposition parties accuse the ruling party of unfair distribution of oil earnings, allegations that PPP denies.
Businessman Azruddin Mohamed, leader of the WIN party, alleged voting irregularities in the election day, even as he celebrated having shaken the pillars of Guyana's political establishment.
Observers from the Organization of American States were deployed to monitor the election and have not yet reported any instances of electoral fraud.
The election came the day after Guyanese police reported that a boat carrying election officials and ballot boxes was shot at from the Venezuelan shore in the contested Essequibo region. Venezuela denied involvement in the incident, amid ongoing territorial disputes over the oil-rich area.
