Guyana Goes to the Polls Hoping to End Its Political Crisis

Guyana's oil boom will influence the results of the March 2 elections, which are called to end the long period of political instability and stagnation that the South American country has been experiencing since 2018.

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The Guyanese people have been waiting for this day since their president David Granger received a motion of no confidence against him, which was validated by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in 2018.

The no-confidence motion on the leader of the Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) party was led by former president and opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) because the government was allegedly squandering the country's oil wealth.

"The real reason why the PPP/C launched the motion on the Granger government is the ideological and ethnic differences that exist between these two parties," the Transparency International spokesperson Troy Thomas said.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

After the CCJ's decision, Granger called for "fair, free and credible" general elections even though he considered that "the no-confidence motion was not due to the real will of the Guyana Parliament or the people."

Following these statements, he repeatedly delayed calling new elections, which led to a crisis extending into 2020, when the country began exporting oil after large deposits were discovered in its territory.

As Granger's party keeps on promising "a good life for all", the PPP candidate Irfaan Ali assures that he will decide the best way to put the country's new resources at the service of the entire population.​​​​​​​

The reality is that this emerging petro-state "will only be able to make the most of the new revenues through political consensus and social stability, aspects that have been lacking in Guyana in recent decades," Thomas concluded during an interview with the DW television channel.​​​​​​​