About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (March 10, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govebhz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914 Updated March 10, 2020 Guyana: An Overview Located on the north coast of South America, English- speaking Guyana has characteristics common of a Caribbean nation because of its British colonial heritage- the country achieved independence from Britain in 1966. Guyana participates in Caribbean regional organizations and forums, and its capital of Georgetown serves as headquarters for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a regional integration organization. Current congressional interest in Guyana is focused on the conduct of the March 2, 2020, elections. Some Members of Congress have expressed deep concern about allegations of potential electoral fraud and have called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to not declare a winner until the completion of a credible vote tabulation process. Figure I - Man of Guvana Source: CRS. Political Environment Guyana has a hybrid republican/parliamentary form of government. The presidential candidate of the party or coalition receiving the most votes becomes president; the president in turn appoints the prime minister. President David Granger leads a coalition that narrowly won in 2015, with 33 of 65 seats in the unicameral National Assembly. The coalition consists of Granger's A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC), led by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. The largest party in the APNU is the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR), which dominated the political system from independence until the early 1990s; the party traditionally has had an Afro-Guyanese base of support. In contrast, the AFC identifies as a multiracial party. The opposition People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), led by former President Bharrat Jagdeo (1999-2011), has 32 seats in the National Assembly. Traditionally supported by Indo-Guyanese, the PPP/C governed Guyana from 1992 until its defeat in the 2015 elections. Guyana at a Glance Population: 782,000 (2018, IMF est.) Ethnic groups: Indo-Guyanese, or those of East Indian heritage, almost 40%; Afro-Guyanese, almost 30%; mixed, 20%; Amerindian, almost 1 10o (2012, CIA est.) Area: 83,000 square miles, about the size of Idaho GDP: $3.9 billion (current prices, 2018, IMF est.) Real GDP Growth: 4.1%0 (2018 est.); 4.4% (2019 est.) (IMF) Per Capita GDP: $4,984 (2018, IMF est.) Life Expectancy: 69.6 years (2017, WB) Sources: International Monetary Fund (IMF); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); World Bank (WB). March 2020 Elections Originally due by September 2020, Guyana held early national elections on March 2, 2020, because the ruling APNU/AFC coalition lost a no-confidence motion in December 2018 by a single vote. A legal challenge to the no-confidence vote ensued and ultimately made its way to the Caribbean Court of Justice, which ruled in June 2019 that the vote was valid. In the March 2, 2020, election, President Granger (running for reelection) was the presidential candidate of the APNU/AFC coalition, with AFC Member of Parliament and Minister of Security Khemraj Ramjattan the candidate for prime minister. Granger was diagnosed with non- Hodgkin's lymphoma in November 2018 and received treatment in Cuba; in October 2019, Guyanese officials announced that Granger was in remission. The PPP/C selected Irfan Ali as its presidential candidate. Ali currently serves as shadow finance minister and previously served as housing minister. Recent elections suggested that the 2020 race would be close. Final elections result have not been released because of alleged discrepancies and allegations of fraud in one of the country's 10 administrative regions, Region 4. On March 6, several international election observer missions-from the Carter Center, the Organization of American States, the European Union (EU), and the Commonwealth-issued a 10

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most