Updated May 21June 19, 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.
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
Figure 1. Map of Guyana
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), with its Member of Parliament Moses
Nagamootoo serving as prime minister. The largest party in
the APNU is the People’s National Congress Reform
(PNCR), which dominated the political system until the
early 1990s; the party traditionally has had an AfroGuyanese base of support. In contrast, the AFC identifies as
a multiracial party.
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.
Guyana at a Glance
Population: 785,000 (2019, 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.); 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 electionsSource: Congressional Research Service.
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 (see, for example, H.Con.Res.
101) have expressed concern about allegations of
electoral fraud and support the recent electoral recount.
With regard to COVID-19, as of June 19, 2020, Guyana
reported 12 deaths and 183 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.
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.
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 todelayed elections until the Caribbean Court of
Justice, which ruled in June 2019 that the vote was valid.
In the March 2, 2020, election,it was valid.) President
Granger (running
for reelection) wasis the presidential
candidate of the
APNU/AFC coalition, with AFC Member
of Parliament
and Minister of Security Khemraj Ramjattan
the candidate
for prime minister. The PPP/C selected Irfan Ali as its
presidential candidate. Ali’s candidate,
Irfaan Ali, currently serves as shadow
finance minister and
previously served as housing minister.
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Guyana: An Overview
Final election results have not been released because of
allegations of fraud in 1 of the country’s 10 administrative
regions, Region 4. On March 6, several international
election were not released because of fraud
allegations. On March 6, several international election
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Guyana: An Overview
observer missions—from the Organization of
American American
States (OAS), the Carter Center, the European
Union (EU),
and the Commonwealth—maintained that the
tabulation of results for Region 4
results was interrupted and
incomplete, incomplete and called for
election officials to resume the
transparent tabulation of 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
votes. Legal challenges delayed the recount, but it was
finally held between May 6 and June 8. It was overseen by
a three-member CARICOM team.
Preliminary recount results showed the opposition PPP/C
securing enough votes to win the election. Although
Guyana’s chief election officer (CEO) maintained that the
vote was not free or fair because of numerous irregularities,
the CARICOM team concluded that the recount results,
despite some irregularities, were “completely acceptable”
and reflected the “will of the voters.” On June 16, the
chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission directed
the CEO to prepare a final report on the results of the
elections by June 18, but another legal challenge ensued,
further delaying the final declaration of election 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 2026.
Recoverable oil is estimated at more than 68 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
Resource Fund for managing the country’s oil wealth. The IMF
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 6March 6 joint statement expressing “deep concern over
credible allegations of electoral fraud.” The ambassadors
called on President Granger to avoid a transition of
government, which they 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 processJune 5 statement, the
ambassadors commended President Granger and opposition
leader Jagdeo “for their support of the recount and their
clear commitment to abide by the results.” On June 10,
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “we look forward to a
quick and credible conclusion to the vote recount.”
U.S. relations with Guyana have improved since the early
1990s, when the government moved away from its socialist
orientation and one-party 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 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 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
assistance 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
Development, 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 since 2004 to combat
HIV/AIDS since 2004 under the
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Although
Peace
Relief and since 2009 to help combat the drug trade and
improve citizen security through the CBSI. Although Peace
Corps programs worldwide are now suspended
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 GuyanaAmong other U.S. aid spigots, the United States also has
provided almost $4.8 million in humanitarian assistance
from FY2017 to FY2020 through international
organizations for some 22,000 Venezuelan refugees and
migrants in Guyana. Most recently, the United States is
providing assistance to help respond to the COVID-19
pandemic through a portion of $2.2 million in health
funding for the Caribbean and $350,000 in humanitarian
assistance for Venezuelan refugees and host communities.
Mark P. Sullivan, Specialist in Latin American Affairs
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IF11381
Guyana: An Overview
Disclaimer
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