- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 02/Sep 05:17

PM sends best wishes as Guyana votes

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has extended her best wishes to the people of Guyana as they headed to the polls on September 1. In a WhatsApp comment, Persad-Bissessar said, "I simply wish the best for the Guyanese people and hope that peace and prosperity reign in their country." She made no comments about the political parties contesting Guyana's general election or matters related to that election. Trinidad and Tobago is part of a US-led coalition of nations formed to combat drug cartels in Latin America. The other nations in that coalition are Paraguay, Ecuador, and Argentina. According to an Associated Press report on September 1, the election is a contest between three political parties: The incumbent People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) led by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali; the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the new We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) 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 percent 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 of 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." WIIN, 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. Last week, UWI political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath predicted that the PPP/Civic (PPP/C) party, led by Ali, will win Guyana’s general election. He also forecast that the PPP/C will win by a larger margin than in the 2020 general election, when it defeated its main contender, the APNU/AFC coalition, and two other parties to gain control of the National Assembly. In that election, the PPP/C won 33 of the 65 seats in Parliament. A total of 757,690 people are eligible to vote in the election, with approximately 2,970 polling stations set up across the South American nation. Electoral observer teams from Caricom, the Commonwealth, and the US-based Carter Center are on the ground in Guyana for the election. A Reuters report posted at 6:27 pm said the polls had closed and votes will now be counted to elect Guyana's 65 new parliamentarians and determine who will form its next government. The post PM sends best wishes as Guyana votes appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.