Updated April 17May 21, 2020
Guyana: An Overview
Located on the north coast of South America, Englishspeaking Guyana has characteristics of a Caribbean nation
because of its British colonial heritage (the country
achieved independence from Britain in 1966). Guyana
participates in Caribbean regional organizations and
forums, and its capital of Georgetown serves as
headquarters for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a
regional integration organization.
Guyana currently is facing two enormous challenges—a
political crisis concerning the conduct of the March 2,
2020, elections, and a public health threat due to the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
President David Granger leads a coalition that narrowly
won in 2015, with 33 of 65 seats in the unicameral National
Assembly. The coalition consists of Granger’s A
Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for
Change (AFC), led by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.
The largest party in the APNU is the People’s National
Congress Reform (PNCR), which dominated the political
system from independence until the early 1990s; the party
traditionally has had an Afro-Guyanese base of support. In
contrast, the AFC identifies as a multiracial party.
Figure 1. Map of Guyana
U.S. officials and some Members of Congress have
expressed deep concern about credible allegations of
electoral fraud. On April 15, 2020, an Organization of
American States (OAS) election observation mission
maintained that the political crisis is not intractable and
urged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to
ensure that procedures for a planned recount are
transparent and consistent.
With regard to COVID-19, as of April 16, 2020, Guyana
reported 6 deaths and 48 confirmed cases, although
testing to date has been limited. The broad economic
impact of COVID-19 on Guyana likely will not be as
Change (AFC), led by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.
The largest party in the APNU is the People’s National
Congress Reform (PNCR), which dominated the political
system from independence until the early 1990s; the party
traditionally has had an Afro-Guyanese base of support. In
contrast, the AFC identifies as a multiracial party.
Figure 1. Map of Guyana
Guyana currently is facing two enormous challenges—a
political crisis concerning the conduct of the March 2,
2020, elections, and a public health threat due to the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Election observer groups, U.S. officials, and some
Members of Congress have expressed concern about
discrepancies and allegations of electoral fraud. After
legal challenges, a recount began on May 6, 2020.
With regard to COVID-19, as of May 21, 2020, Guyana
reported 10 deaths and 125 confirmed cases. The
economic impact of COVID-19 on Guyana will not be
as severe as in other Caribbean countries because of
Guyana’s recently begun offshore oil production.
Guyana at a Glance
Population: 782785,000 (20182019, IMF est.)
Ethnic Groups: Indo-Guyanese, or those of East Indian
heritage, almost 40%; Afro-Guyanese, almost 30%; mixed,
20%; Amerindian, almost 11% (2012, CIA est.)
Area: 83,000 square miles, about the size of Idaho
GDP: $4.1 billion (2019, current prices, IMF est.)
Real GDP Growth: 4.7% (2019 est.); 53% (2020 est.)
(constant prices, IMF)
Per Capita GDP: $5,252 (2019, current prices, IMF est.); 6.3%
(2021est.) (constant prices, IMF)
Per Capita GDP: $5,252 (2019, current prices, IMF est.)
Life Expectancy: 69.8 years (2018, WB)
Sources: International Monetary Fund (IMF), World
Economic Outlook Database, Oct. 2019 and April 2020;
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), World Factbook; World
Bank (WB), World Development Indicators.
Political Environment
Guyana has a hybrid republican/parliamentary form of
government. The presidential candidate of the party or
coalition receiving the most votes becomes president, and
the president appoints the prime minister.
President David Granger leads a coalition that narrowly
won in 2015, with 33 of 65 seats in the unicameral National
Assembly. The coalition consists of Granger’s A
Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for
Source: CRS.
The opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C),
led by former President Bharrat Jagdeo (1999-2011), has 32
seats in the National Assembly. Traditionally supported by
Indo-Guyanese, the PPP/C governed Guyana from 1992
until its defeat in the 2015 elections.
Sources: International Monetary Fund (IMF), World
Economic Outlook Database, Oct. 2019 and April 2020;
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), World Factbook; World
Bank (WB), World Development Indicators.
March 2020 Elections
Originally due by September 2020, Guyana held early
national elections on March 2, 2020, because the ruling
APNU/AFC coalition lost a no-confidence motion in
December 2018 by a single vote. A legal challenge to the
motion ensued and made its way to the Caribbean Court of
Justice, which ruled in June 2019 that the vote was valid.
Political Environment
Guyana has a hybrid republican/parliamentary form of
government. The presidential candidate of the party or
coalition receiving the most votes becomes president, and
the president appoints the prime minister.
In the March 2, 2020, election, President Granger (running
for reelection) was the presidential candidate of the
APNU/AFC coalition, with AFC Member of Parliament
and Minister of Security Khemraj Ramjattan the candidate
Life Expectancy: 69.8 years (2018, WB)
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Guyana: An Overview
for prime minister. The PPP/C selected Irfan Ali as its
presidential candidate. Ali currently serves as shadow
finance minister and previously served as housing minister.
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Guyana: An Overview
Final election results were not have not been released because of alleged
discrepancies and
allegations of fraud in 1 of the country’s
10 administrative
regions, Region 4. On March 6, several
international international
election observer missions—from the OAS,
Organization of
American States (OAS), the Carter Center, the European
Union (EU), and the
Commonwealth—maintained that the
tabulation of results
for Region 4 was interrupted and
incomplete, and called for
election officials to resume the
transparent tabulation of
votes. Legal challenges delayed a recount, but in early April
2020, GECOM confirmed its decision to go ahead with a
full national recount. GECOM’s chairperson has indicated
that a timeframe for the recount will be announced on April
17; a previous proposal by the country’s chief electoral
officer to take 156 days for the recount was met by strong
criticism by the PPP/C and the OAS electoral observation
mission.
votes. On April 15, the OAS
observer mission urged the Guyana Elections Commission
(GECOM) to ensure that procedures for a planned recount
are transparent and consistent. Legal challenges delayed a
recount until it ultimately began on May 6, with a threemember CARICOM team overseeing the process. The
recount will likely take longer than the 25 days initially
planned. President Granger has said he will accept
GECOM’s declaration of results.
Oil Changes Guyana’s Economic Outlook
Guyana’s economy traditionally has been based on
agriculture (rice and sugar) and mining (gold and bauxite),
but the discovery of significant amounts of offshore oil is
bolstering the country’s economy. ExxonMobil leads a
consortium that includes Hess and China National Offshore
Oil Corporation and has been involved in oil and gas
exploration in Guyana since 2008. Since 2015, the
consortium has identified 16 commercially viable
discoveries in the Stabroek Block, about 120 miles
offshore. Production began in December 2019 and is
expected to reach 120,000 barrels of oil per day (b/d) within
several months and more than 750,000 b/d by 20252026.
Recoverable oil is estimated at more than 6 billion barrels.
The discovery of offshore oil vastly changes the economic
development prospects of Guyana, which used to be one of
the hemisphere’s poorest countries. The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that economic growth in
2019 reached 4.7%. For 2020, despite the recent decline in
world oil prices and the economic consequences of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the IMF is forecasting 53%
economic growth and a comparable per capita income
increase. Guyana’s development of its oil resources has
raised concerns about corruption. In early 2019, Guyana’s
National Assembly approved legislation providing a
framework for the establishment of a Natural Resource
Fund for managing the country’s oil wealth. The IMF
welcomed the action but called for Guyana to take
additional steps, including establishing a fiscal
responsibility framework to avoid fiscal deficits; promoting
effective, transparent management of the oil wealth; and
strengthening anti-corruption efforts.
U.S.-Guyana Relations
In the aftermath of the March 2, 2020, elections, U.S.
Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch joined the heads of mission
from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the EU to issue a
joint statement on March 6 expressing “deep concern over
credible allegations of electoral fraud.” The ambassadors
called on President Granger to avoid a transition of
government, “which we believe would be unconstitutional
as it would be based on a vote tabulation process that
lacked credibility and transparencythey maintained would be
“unconstitutional” because the tabulation process “lacked
credibility and transparency.” In a subsequent joint
statement on May 6, the ambassadors lauded the beginning
of the recount and encouraged “a swift, credible, and
transparent conclusion to the recount process.”
U.S. relations with Guyana have improved since the early
1990s, when the government moved away from its socialist
orientation and one-party domination of the political system
and embraced a market economy and free and fair
democratic elections. According to the State Department,
U.S. policy toward Guyana centers on democracy
promotion and civil society development, economic growth,
and the promotion of security and stability. Bilateral
relations are characterized by close security cooperation
through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) and
expanding trade and investment in the energy sector.
Trade. The United States ran a trade surplus of $540
million with Guyana in 2019, with U.S. exports valued at
$672 million, up 24% from 2018 (led by machinery and
iron/steel pipes for oil drilling) and U.S. imports valued at
$132 million (led by seafood, aluminum ores, and gold). In
1988, Guyana became a beneficiary of the Caribbean Basin
Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), a preferential trade
program for Caribbean imports. In 2000, it became a
beneficiary of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act
(CBTPA), a program that provides enhanced tariff
treatment for certain imports from the region, including
goods made with U.S. yarns, fabrics, and threads. CBERA
has no set expiration date; CBTPA expires in September
2020. Legislation has been introduced in both houses (H.R.
991 and S. 2473) to extend the CBTPA to September 2030.
U.S. Foreign Aid. U.S. foreign assistance to Guyana
includes a small bilateral aid program to improve the
capacity of Guyana’s security forces to police its border and
provide security, as well as larger spigots of assistance
through global and regional programs. According to the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S
aid to Guyana amounted to $4.7 million in FY2018 (latest
full year available), with top sectors including HIV/AIDS
and basic education and health. Guyana has received
assistance to combat HIV/AIDS since 2004 under the
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Although
Peace Corps programs worldwide are now suspended
because of COVID-19, Guyana had over 60 volunteers
working on education, health, and environmental projects.
Guyana also receives U.S. assistance through the CBSI, a
program begun in 2009 to help combat the drug trade and
other transnational crime and improve citizen security.
Support for Guyana has included the provision of patrol
boats to increase the defense force’s maritime operations
capability; a community-based program to reduce crime
and violence and increase opportunities for youth; support
for effective criminal investigations; and job and
educational support for at-risk youth.
According to USAID, the United States also provided
almost $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance from
FY2017 to FY2019 through international organizations for
some 22,000 Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Guyana.
Mark P. Sullivan, Specialist in Latin American Affairs
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IF11381
Guyana: An Overview
Disclaimer
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