GEORGETOWN (Reuters) -Guyana’s ruling People’s Progressive Party has won a total of 123,923 votes in a partial tally of general election votes, notching it five out of ten districts, figures from the country’s election commission showed on Wednesday.
Official tallies for four more districts are pending, but the figures bode well for President Irfaan Ali, who is seeking re-election for the PPP.
The partial figures showed a shake-up for the South American country’s opposition – the upstart We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, which was founded just three months ago by business magnate Azruddin Mohamed, was second in votes, winning 50,829 and one district.
Voting to choose 65 members of parliament and a government took place on Monday after a campaign focused on how riches from the country’s hydrocarbon boom should be spent.
The country of 800,000 people has earned some $7.5 billion in revenue from oil sales and royalties since ExxonMobil started pumping offshore oil in late 2019, making Guyana one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Ali’s government, which took power in 2020, has funneled oil revenue into building roads, schools and hospitals, and made studying at the state university free.
But opposition parties have decried what they say is unfair distribution of oil earnings to groups connected to the PPP. The PPP denies the allegation.
WIN leader Mohamed was sanctioned by the U.S. last year over allegations that he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, defrauded the Guyanese government of tax revenue and bribed public officials. They deny any wrongdoing.
Mohamed has attracted grassroots support, especially among poor and Indigenous communities, through his philanthropy and WIN has called for fairer access to housing and opportunities for everyone.
(Reporting by Kemol KingWriting by Julia Symmes Cobb)
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