Guyana’s Election Results: A Victory for the Status Quo
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September 16, 2025
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The official presidential results have confirmed a decisive victory for Irfaan Ali, leader of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (“PPP/C”), securing his re-election with more than half of the national vote.
This outcome not only ensures Ali’s continuation but also strengthens the PPP/C’s mandate to advance its ambitious infrastructure and social development agenda, buoyed by Guyana’s historic oil boom. Ali outpaced both his main rival, Aubrey Norton of the A Partnership for National Unity + People’s National Congress Reform (“APNU/PNCR”), and newcomer Azruddin Mohamed, candidate for the We Invest in Nationhood (“WIN”) party, who unexpectedly finished second. Mohamed’s result displaced the APNU/PNCR, a party that has alternated power in Guyana for over six decades, marking a dramatic shift in the country’s political landscape. Mohamed, a businessman and political outsider, has also faced U.S. sanctions over alleged tax evasion and corruption.1
The campaign was shaped by corruption allegations and disputes over energy resource management, amplified by border tensions with Venezuela that turned the election into both an economic and institutional test.2 Despite strong growth prospects, Guyana remains highly exposed to oil dependence, corruption risks, and weak institutions, while the Essequibo dispute and foreign competition add external pressures.3 The country’s future hinges on managing these vulnerabilities to turn oil wealth into inclusive and sustainable development.
Bharrat Jagdeo – Vice President of Guyana
Though the future vice president has not been officially announced, it is expected that Bharrat Jagdeo - who served as vice president during Irfaan Ali’s 2020–2025 term - will retain the role, a scenario unlikely to change unless he steps down. Jadgeo has been at the center of multiple controversies for alleged corruption. An undercover report by Vice News in 2022 implicated him in a bribery scandal with Chinese businessmen, prompting inquiry from the UN Human Rights Commission.4,5 Jagdeo has faced allegations of irregularities in public tenders, where he acknowledged that evaluators asked for bribes to manipulate reports.6 He has been criticized by former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, who denounced cost overruns, collusion and up to 20% annual losses in public procurement under his management.7 Although Jagdeo has strongly denied the allegations, claiming that they lack credible evidence and positioning himself as an advocate for transparency reforms, his role continues to be a flashpoint in Guyana’s ongoing debate over governance and corruption.
Oil Bonanza and Infrastructure
The discovery of vast offshore reserves, mainly in the Stabroek Block operated by ExxonMobil, has transformed Guyana into the world’s fastest-growing economy in recent years, with the IMF reporting average GDP growth rates of around 47% between 2022 and 2024.8 President Irfaan Ali has capitalized on this oil boom in his campaign, presenting the PPP/C as a guarantor that oil wealth translates into tangible benefits for citizens. In this framework, the official discourse has emphasized the construction of bridges, roads, hospitals, free universities and housing programs, presented as symbols of an equitable redistribution of energy income.9,10
However, this infrastructure discourse has also come under heavy criticism. The opposition has questioned the lack of transparency in public procurement and denounced that large projects have not managed to contain the increase in inequality, the rise in housing prices and the inflation hitting popular sectors. Civil organizations and analysts argue that, although the development narrative seeks to project modernization and social cohesion, in practice the oil boom runs the risk of reproducing a dependent extractive model which concentrates wealth.11
What Comes Next?
With the election results consolidating the PPP/C’s hegemony against the backdrop of an oil boom, Guyana is expected to face a stage of economic expansion marked by infrastructure and the promise of social redistribution.
The government’s official narrative emphasizes channeling oil revenues into roads, hospitals, and housing, while the opposition cautions that corruption, inequality, and energy dependence could undermine governance.12,13 The emergence of WIN and the evolving dynamic between the two parties will play an important role in parliament, potentially steering this presidential term in a more populist direction.14,15 Compounding these dynamics is the ongoing tension with Venezuela over the Essequibo, which makes every oil policy decision a matter of national security.16 As a result, Guyana’s immediate future is likely to hinge on a delicate balance between rapid prosperity and the risk of repeating the cycles of concentration and conflict that have plagued other petro- economies in the region.
Footnotes:
1: “Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed are Sanctioned and Barred from setting foot in the USA by OFAC and the FBI, they are Now Playing Politics in Guyana,” DemocracyGuyana (accessed September 10, 2025).
2: King, Kemol, “Guyana’s Ali seeks another term amid oil bonanza,” Reuters (August 29, 2025).
3: Wilkinson, Bert, “Guyana holds general election as candidates vie for control of country’s oil wealth,” Associated Press (September 1, 2025).
4: “Guyana questioned at UN rights committee over corruption allegations against Jagdeo,” Stabroek News (accessed March 19, 2024).
5: “UN Human Rights Committee raises issue of failure to investigate allegations of corruption against VP Jagdeo and Police Force,” News Source Guyana (accessed March 18, 2024).
6: “Corruption uncovered in evaluation of bids for contracts – VP Jagdeo,” DPI Guyana (accessed September 10, 2025).
7: “Former Auditor General Goolsarran flays Vice President Jadego,” Kaieteur News (October 19, 2023).
8: “IMF says expects Guyana to continue having very fast growth rates,” Stabroek News (April 27, 2025).
9: Duncan, Natricia, and Neil Marks, “Guyana’s Irfaan Ali looks to ride oil boom to second presidential term,” The Guardian (August 30, 2025).
10: King, supra note 2.
11: “Guyana votes in elections amid oil boom debate and Venezuela tensions,” Aljazeera (September 1, 2025).
12: Duncan, supra note 8.
13: Verdad, Misión, “Guyana: Crisis, Corruption, and the Essequibo Curtain,” Orinoco Tribune (May 6, 2025).
14: King, Kemol, “Guyana’s ruling party PPP has hearty lead in general election vote tally,” Reuters (September 3, 2025).
15: “Resounding Victory for Guyana’s PPP in General Election,” Devdiscourse (September 4, 2025).
16: Westfall, Sammy, “Venezuela Stages Elections for a disputed part of neighboring Guyana,” The Washington Post (May 25, 2025).
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September 16, 2025
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