In a dramatic turn for Guyana’s political landscape, President Irfaan Ali has declared victory in the country’s general election, staking his claim to a second five-year mandate even before the official results were released. The announcement, made on September 4, 2025, has sent ripples across the South American nation, where the management of newfound oil wealth and rising territorial tensions with Venezuela have dominated public debate and political maneuvering.
According to preliminary tallies reported by Reuters and Daily Post, Ali’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) appears to have won decisively, securing an estimated 242,000 votes and clear majorities in eight of Guyana’s ten electoral districts. This strong showing positions the PPP to expand its influence in the 65-seat National Assembly, with Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo suggesting that the party is on track for a larger parliamentary majority than in the previous 2020 election.
Yet, the election’s biggest surprise may be the meteoric rise of the newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party. Founded just three months prior by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, WIN managed to capture about 109,000 votes, placing second and shaking up the traditional two-party dominance that has long defined Guyanese politics. The long-standing opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), found itself relegated to third place, a remarkable shift that few could have predicted at the start of the campaign season.
Ali, 45, centered his campaign on a promise to harness the country’s vast oil reserves—discovered offshore by ExxonMobil in 2019—for the benefit of all Guyanese. His pledges included reducing poverty, expanding infrastructure, and ensuring economic stability, all while deftly navigating the increasingly fraught territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela. Since ExxonMobil’s landmark discovery, Guyana’s budget has quadrupled, and with a population of just 800,000, the nation now boasts one of the highest proven crude oil reserves per capita in the world. This windfall has propelled Guyana into the ranks of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but it has also brought new challenges and scrutiny.
Indeed, the 2025 election was, in many ways, a referendum on how best to manage the country’s oil bonanza. As BBC noted, the campaign narrative was dominated by debates over the distribution of oil revenues, with opposition parties and critics accusing the PPP of favoring groups aligned with the ruling party. These allegations of favoritism have been strongly denied by government officials, who maintain that the benefits of oil wealth are being spread fairly and strategically to address national priorities.
Despite the PPP’s apparent electoral success, the question of equitable oil revenue distribution remains a flashpoint. WIN party leader Azruddin Mohamed, while celebrating his party’s unprecedented gains, did not shy away from raising concerns about the integrity of the vote. "We have shaken the pillars of Guyana's political establishment," Mohamed declared, but he also pointed to alleged “voting irregularities” that, in his view, warrant further scrutiny. However, international observers from the Organization of American States (OAS), who were deployed across Guyana to monitor the election, have not reported any evidence of electoral fraud as of September 4, 2025.
Voter turnout, it should be noted, was lower than in the 2020 election. Still, PPP officials were quick to highlight that their party not only increased its vote share but also broadened its support across more districts. For the ruling party, this signals a mandate to continue their agenda—though some analysts caution that lower turnout could reflect growing voter fatigue or skepticism about the political process, especially amid persistent allegations of favoritism and rising economic expectations.
Adding to the tension was an incident on September 3, just a day before the election, when Guyanese authorities reported that a boat carrying election officials and ballot boxes was fired upon from across the border in the disputed Essequibo region. This oil- and mineral-rich territory has long been claimed by both Guyana and Venezuela, and the timing of the attack heightened anxieties. Caracas was quick to deny any involvement, but the episode underscored the precarious security environment and the geopolitical stakes at play. As BBC reported, the Essequibo dispute has become increasingly heated in recent years, with both countries vying for control over resources that could shape their economic futures.
For many ordinary Guyanese, the election’s outcome represents both hope and uncertainty. On one hand, the promise of oil-fueled prosperity is tantalizing: since 2019, ExxonMobil’s discoveries have unlocked billions of barrels of crude, and the state’s coffers have swelled accordingly. Infrastructure projects, new schools, and expanded healthcare facilities are among the visible benefits touted by the PPP government. On the other hand, critics argue that the pace and fairness of distribution have lagged behind expectations, fueling resentment and political polarization.
Ali’s victory speech was both triumphant and conciliatory. He reiterated his pledge to govern for all Guyanese and to ensure that the nation’s newfound wealth is used wisely. Yet, he faces a daunting task. The rapid influx of oil revenues has raised the stakes for every policy decision, and the eyes of the international community—along with those of Guyana’s neighbors—are watching closely.
Meanwhile, the WIN party’s strong performance is already being hailed as a watershed moment in Guyanese politics. Mohamed’s ability to mobilize support in such a short time suggests that voters are hungry for alternatives to the established parties. Whether WIN’s momentum can be sustained in the years ahead remains to be seen, but its rise has undoubtedly altered the political calculus for both the PPP and the APNU.
As the country awaits the formal release of the final results and the allocation of parliamentary seats, the PPP’s projected larger majority could give Ali the leverage he needs to push through his ambitious agenda. Yet, with the opposition raising questions about transparency and fairness, and with regional tensions simmering, the road ahead is anything but smooth.
For now, Guyana stands at a crossroads—buoyed by oil wealth, tested by political upheaval, and shadowed by territorial disputes. How its leaders navigate these challenges will determine not just the nation’s prosperity, but its very sense of identity in a rapidly changing world.
