Guyanese to vote for new government on Monday

More than 660,000 people  are eligible to vote in a general election on Monday as Guyana moves towards charting a new future that undoubtedly will be shaped by the significant amount of revenue it will receive as the world’s newest oil producing country.

The polls are coming more than a year after the David Granger coalition administration was defeated in an opposition-inspired motion of no confidence that saw a government legislator switching sides and eliminating the government’s slender one-seat majority in the 65-member National Assembly.

While the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has said 11 political parties have met the criteria to contest the regional and general elections, political observers agree that the poll will be a straight contest between the ruling coalition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – and the main opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

The opposition party had been calling for the elections to be held within 90 days after the December 2018 defeat of the government in the Parliament in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution, but legal manoeuvres allowed the APNU administration to remain in power, even though in some instances it was described as a lame duck government.

Unlike most of the other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, Guyana does not use the “first past the post system in electing its government, relying instead on proportional representation.

The political parties were required to submit three separate lists to contest both the general and regional elections, with the elections to the National Assembly being drawn from two lists, namely the National Top-Up List and the 10 Geographic Constituency lists.

A total of 40 parliamentary seats can be drawn from the National Top Up list and following the elections, the total number of valid votes cast is divided into 40 and parties are allocated seats according to who has the greatest number of votes.

A total of 25 parliamentary seats can be drawn from the Geographic Constituency lists and the parties allocated seats according to who has the greatest number of votes. (CMC)