WPA Confirms Intent to Contest Upcoming Elections, Warns Nation at “Brink of Explosion”

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has confirmed its intention to contest the upcoming national and regional elections, either as part of a broader opposition coalition or independently, as it launches preparations for a platform centered on social justice, economic reform, and electoral integrity.

In a statement released this week, the WPA announced it is finalising a manifesto focused on equitable distribution of oil revenues, universal access to healthcare and education, constitutional reform, poverty alleviation through cash transfers, and economic diversification away from oil dependence. The party also emphasised commitments to human rights protections, including an end to extrajudicial killings, protection of labour rights, and the empowerment of marginalised groups, particularly women.

Coalition Talks and Electoral Strategy

The WPA clarified that coalition talks with the People’s National Congress/Alliance for Change (PNC/APNU) were temporarily paused to allow the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU-AFC) negotiations to proceed but are expected to resume soon. The party reaffirmed its commitment to a united opposition front under a shared policy programme and electoral strategy.

In line with previous elections in 2011, 2015, and 2020 the WPA said it would support a coalition formula in which the party with the widest electoral reach would lead the presidential ticket and secure the largest share of parliamentary and cabinet positions. However, the WPA maintained its autonomy over its own representatives.

“Our approach will be guided by fraternalism, independence, and realism,” the statement said.

Demands for Electoral Reform

Ahead of the polls, the WPA renewed its call for electoral reforms, specifically the implementation of biometric voter verification and a thorough sanitization of the voters list—measures the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has rejected through its majority on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Describing these reforms as essential to electoral integrity, the WPA urged international partners, particularly CARICOM, to intervene. “We call on the international community to lend their voices and influence to push the PPP to reverse course,” the party said.

Accusations Against PPP Government

In a sharply worded critique of the PPP administration, the WPA accused the government of pushing the country toward a state of crisis through systemic abuse of power and disregard for democratic norms.

Citing recent incidents—including the alleged state-sanctioned killings of two young men in Linden, the controversial death of 11-year-old Adrianna Younge, and the arrests of a nurse and a rapper—the WPA accused the government of inciting national instability through human rights violations and repression of dissent.

“The PPP government has brought Guyana once again to the brink of a national explosion,” the statement said. “The constant assault on the rule of law, repeated human rights violations, untamed corruption, open racial discrimination, routine extrajudicial killings and the mismanagement of the economy have combined to make Guyana the most autocratic State in the Anglophone Caribbean.”

The party linked the public unrest that erupted on April 28 to widespread frustration over government actions and accused authorities of engaging in cover-ups and repression in response to public outrage over Younge’s disappearance and subsequent events.

While accusing the government of overseeing one of the region’s highest poverty rates despite the country’s booming oil economy, the WPA pledged to offer a radically different vision for Guyana’s future—one that it argues is urgently needed to restore national stability and democratic accountability.