Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 01/Sep 18:10

Three horse race in Guyana elections

GUYANA heads to the polls for its general election with the contest expected to be a race between three political parties. According to an Associated Press (AP) report on September 1, those parties are the incumbent People's Progressive Party (PPP) led by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the new We Invest In Nationhood (WIIN)party. At a rally on August 30, Ali told PPP supporters, "We have the experience, and you can trust us to lead you into the bright prosperous future ahead of us.” In recent years, Guyana has transformed from a country traditionally dependent on gold, sugar, rice, bauxite and timber to one reaping the windfall of nearly 900,000 barrels of oil produced daily. The World Bank has noted that Guyana has the world's fastest growing economy with gross domestic product increases averaging around 15 per cent annually in the past six years. US energy conglomerate ExxonMobil is the major player in Guyana's emerging energy sector. APNU, led by 68-year-old political scientist Aubrey Norton, has accused the PPP corruption, nepotism, harassment of opposition voices and alleged irresponsible use of oil sector revenues. At a recent APNU rally, Norton said, "Our aim is to restore decency in Guyana, to restore law and order, and to lift the people of Guyana out of poverty." He added, "We want to build a society that truly serves its people and ensures that every Guyanese benefits from our nation’s oil wealth.'” WINN, which was formed three months ago, has reportedly been well received by first-time and younger voters. The party is attempting to break the political cycle between the Indo-dominated PPP and the Afro-dominated APNU by appealing to voters of different ethnicities. The post Three horse race in Guyana elections appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.