Opposition says it has denied governing party domination of major municipalities
It had been billed as a chance for the governing Indo-dominated People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to finally get a political grip on Georgetown, the capital city, and other urban areas, which have traditionally been controlled by the main opposition grouping but from all appearances, the status quo will remain from local government elections held in Guyana recently.
Billed as a barometer as to whether the PPP has finally been able to win over Afro Guyanese supporters, results released by both parties show that decades of voting along racial and party lines continued in the midterm elections with the opposition claiming victory in Georgetown, the mining communities of Linden, Bartica and Madhia as well as the second main town of New Amsterdam, 65 miles from the city, areas that the PPP had targeted for change.
The PPP, led by President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had invested hundreds of millions in community projects, government cash grants, PPP party cash handouts and the award of numerous small contracts to community organizers and ordinary citizens, hoping this would have won them control of the city and these urban areas but A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) says it has been able to stave off a gallant PPP charge to steal its mainly Afro supporters once and for all.
Jagdeo, a former president now in charge of the oil and gas sector and finance among other key portfolios, says that regardless of what the final results might show, “it is an extremely big night (Monday) for the PPP. We will take some towns that were previously under APNU. In Georgetown, we will win more constituencies that we had won in the past,” Jagdeo told reporters.
But APNU lawmakers including Ganesh Mahipaul are adamant that the elections are a major failure of the PPP largely because the contest had nothing to do with control of rural and small coastal communities but it was a fight for dominance of the main urban districts like Georgetown and Afro-dominated Linden. Victory for the PPP would have given it total control of the country and state apparatus, decimating the opposition in the process.
“Although they made some progress in APNU strongholds, the PPP spent exorbitant amounts of money in APNU strongholds and across Guyana. A comparative analysis of the 2016, 2018, and 2023 results, considering various variables and the advantage of being in government with greater financial and other resources compared to previous years, clearly demonstrates that the PPP suffered a resounding defeat in the elections,” said Mahipaul.
Campaigning in the country is expected to continue in earnest as general elections are a mere two years away. By then, Guyana could be producing nearly one million barrels of oil daily so whichever party controls the political and state machinery would be awash with money relative to the 2015 and 2020 general elections.
Meanwhile, a similar situation will likely play out in neighboring Trinidad when local government polls are held on Aug. 14. The Indo-led main opposition United National Congress (UNC) will also have to win over Afro supporters of the governing People’s National Movement (PNM) as it fights to regain control of government in general elections also billed for 2025 like Guyana.
