Guyana to announce final decision on March elections

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will adjudicate today the final results of the March 2 regional and general elections.

Today’s announcement, which comes over three months after the elections, was delayed after a widely criticised recount process that attracted international attention from organisations like the EU and the Caribbean Community. Guyana has been in a prolonged constitutional crisis since December 2018, which has seen the controversial passage of a no-confidence motion in parliament and the postponement of the election last year.

President David Granger, whose left-wing political alliance holds power in Guyana, has questioned the credibility of GECOM’s tabulation process. Granger’s ruling coalition could use legal means to challenge the recount, which currently favours the main opposition bloc People’s Progressive Party/Civic.

The democratic stability of Guyana has significant geopolitical implications—with recent massive offshore oil discoveries, the small South American nation is poised to emerge as one of the world’s leading oil producers. However, the current instability is undermining the country’s standing on the international stage. A continued political crisis would affect Guyana’s ability to receive foreign direct investment, obtain leadership roles in regional and international organisations and even affect the ongoing case against Venezuela’s claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory at the International Court of Justice.

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