Guyana holds elections amid oil revenue debate and Venezuela tensions

Georgetown [Guyana], September 1 : People in Guyana are voting for a president and members of parliament who will oversee billions in oil revenue, offshore production with a United States-led international consortium, and tensions with Venezuela, Al Jazeera reported.

Over 750,000 registered voters will have until 6:00 p.m. (22:00 GMT) on Monday to cast their ballots at approximately 2,800 polling stations.

Six parties are participating in the election for the presidency and 65 parliamentary seats, but it is effectively a three-way race between President Irfaan Ali of the People's Progressive Party (PPP), Aubrey Norton of the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR), and billionaire Azruddin Mohamed, Al Jazeera added. Mohamed launched his We Invest in Nationhood party in March to challenge the two-party system.

Voting in Guyana has traditionally followed ethnic lines, with Indo-Guyanese backing the PPP and Afro-Guyanese supporting the PNCR, Al Jazeera reported.

Billionaire Mohamed has attracted younger supporters but remains shunned by the US, which sanctioned him 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.

President Ali, seeking re-election, plans to use revenue from oil sales and royalties from contracts with ExxonMobil and other firms to fund infrastructure projects.

Since oil production began in 2019, Guyana's economy has grown rapidly, with the state budget quadrupling to $6.7 billion in 2025, Al Jazeera reported.

Opposition parties argue that oil earnings disproportionately benefit well-connected groups and have pledged to renegotiate the contract with ExxonMobil if elected.

The next president will also face the challenge of managing a border dispute with Venezuela over the Essequibo region, where most of Guyana's oil reserves are located.

Venezuela claims the area, which has been governed by Guyana since independence in 1966, and recently elected a governor there despite having no authority in the region, Al Jazeera reported.

Guyana's electoral commission has said results may be expected by Thursday or later. The party that wins the most votes will select the next president. International observers on the ground include The Carter Center, the Organization of American States, and members of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), to monitor the elections after the 2020 polls were delayed for five months over vote counting disputes.

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