Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, has declared victory in this week’s general and regional elections after his party secured over 240,000 votes and won seven of the country’s ten electoral districts.
“The results are available, as released by the Guyana elections commission. The figures are evident. The people have spoken decisively. We have won these elections by a significant margin,” he told **CuriosityNews** on Wednesday.
Ali faces the challenge of transforming the country’s recent oil wealth into broader prosperity while managing tensions with neighboring Venezuela. Guyana has the highest proven crude oil reserves per capita but remains one of Latin America’s poorest nations.
A 2024 report by the Inter-American Development Bank found that 58% of Guyanese live in poverty, despite an oil boom that has increased the state budget fourfold since production began in 2019.
Final election results from Monday’s vote have yet to be officially confirmed, and some parties have requested recounts in certain districts. Preliminary figures indicate a major shift in the country’s opposition landscape. The newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (Win) party, established just three months ago by business leader Azruddin Mohamed, is now in second place by vote count.
With over 109,000 votes, one district confirmed and another under contention, Win appears poised to replace the long-standing A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as the primary opposition. APNU, which governed before Ali took office in 2020, has secured just under 78,000 votes in the latest tally.
Opposition figure Amanzia Walton-Desir, who ran for president, expressed frustration that poverty persists despite the country’s newfound wealth.
She claimed that government investments in infrastructure and subsidies were fueling inflation.
Ali’s party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), will secure the most votes in Region Four, the country’s largest electoral district—a first for the party since Guyana’s independence in 1966. However, without an outright majority, they will need support from smaller parties to govern the region.
The elections, which determined 65 parliamentary seats and the next administration, followed months of debate over how to allocate proceeds from the nation’s oil boom.
Since ExxonMobil began offshore production in late 2019, the country of roughly 800,000 people has earned $7.5 billion from oil sales and royalties, positioning Guyana as one of the fastest-growing economies globally.
“We have fulfilled all our commitments over the past five years, which is why the people trust our plans for the next five years,” Ali told **CuriosityNews**.
His administration has directed oil revenues toward infrastructure, education, and healthcare, including free university tuition. The International Monetary Fund has recognized the country’s economic expansion.
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