The September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections which was defined more by what wasn’t said, who didn’t vote, and a rising tide of public cynicism, the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has emerged with a second term but not the sweeping mandate it wanted or claimed.
Despite commanding the full arsenal of state resources, vast oil revenues, and an unprecedented campaign blitz, the PPP/C’s margin of victory on September 1st was razor-thin in political terms — just 9,161 more votes than it received in 2020, a 3.9 percent increase. For a government presiding over one of the world’s fastest-growing oil economies now producing some 700,000 barrels per day, this was no landslide.
In fact, the outcome offers less a picture of popular triumph and more a mirror of a fractured and uncertain nation. Historically low voter turnout, deepening public distrust, a surging new political force led by a sanctioned businessman, and mounting allegations of state abuse all cloud the result.
Billions in Oil, Thousands of Handouts, But No Real Surge
From 2020 to mid-2025, Guyana earned over US $6.2 billion in oil profit revenues and royalties. This absorption of billions into the Consolidated Fund saw the Irfaan Ali administration flooding the country with spending: trillion-dollar budgets, cash grants, house lots, health vouchers, free bridge crossings, and expansive education initiatives. The government claimed it had created 50,000 new jobs. It spent heavily on concerts, infrastructure launches, and rallies designed to feed into the “One Guyana” message.
However, the final numbers were sobering. Instead of delivering the two-thirds parliamentary majority it boasted during the campaign, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) declared the PPP/C with 36 seats. Only 32 percent of the registered electorate voted for the party. More citizens chose to stay home than voted for the government.
“This is not a strong mandate by any democratic standard,” one political observer told this newspaper. “It’s a warning sign wrapped in a victory.”
A Deepening Disconnect With the ‘One Guyana’ Vision
President Irfaan Ali’s central message of national unity, ‘One Guyana,’ rang hollow for many. Nearly 22,000 fewer votes were cast compared to the 2020 General Elections despite an expected increase in voter roll size. The implication is stark: thousands of eligible Guyanese actively chose not to participate in what was billed as a transformative election.
Moreover, a striking 44.7 percent of those who did vote rejected the PPP/C outright, even as the main opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), ran a disorganised and tepid campaign. In real terms, this means the government lost support even in some of its strongholds. Regions Two, Three, and Six saw a combined 3,863 vote decline for the PPP/C compared to 2020 despite intense campaigning.
If ‘One Guyana’ was supposed to unite and uplift, the numbers suggest the opposite.
The WIN Phenomenon and the PPP’s Nightmare Scenario
While the PPP/C retained power, the real political earthquake came in the form of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the fledgling party led by businessman Azruddin Mohamed.
Dismissed early on by both government officials and traditional political analysts as a vanity project or vote-splitting distraction, WIN shocked the nation by capturing 24.87 percent of the vote, earning 16 seats and pushing the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)—with the major force, the People’s National Congress—into third place.
Mohamed, a figure marred by allegations of gold under-invoicing, tax evasion, and political inexperience, nonetheless resonated with voters, particularly in marginalised and underdeveloped regions. In Regions Two, Three, and Six alone, WIN secured over 33,000 votes, establishing a clear presence in traditional PPP/C strongholds.
For the PPP/C, the implications are troubling. The more than 109,000 WIN voters are not just statistical anomalies. They are former APNU loyalists, first-time voters, and disillusioned citizens who found more hope in Mohamed’s philanthropy and populist rhetoric than in the governing PPP’s promises.
These are voters the PPP/C believed it could win over, especially if the so-called racial and political rubicon had truly been crossed. That assumption now appears deeply flawed.
Abuse of Incumbency Raises Alarms
Throughout the campaign, concerns mounted about the PPP/C’s unchecked use of state resources to secure political advantage. In a damning preliminary report, the European Union Electoral Observation Mission documented a long list of questionable activities by the ruling party:
- An unprecedented mass promotion of 2,800 police officers announced just weeks before the vote
- A sudden increase in public project inaugurations, cash disbursements, and programme launches
- Public events that functioned as party rallies, with state beneficiaries pressured to vote PPP/C
- Reports of civil servants facing transfers or demotions for showing support to opposition parties, particularly WIN
An undue advantage of incumbency distorted the level playing field, the EU EOM concluded. The report described campaign finance in Guyana as largely unregulated and opaque.
Ironically, while the PPP/C criticised WIN for alleged vote-buying using questionable wealth, it too engaged in targeted giveaways, partisan messaging during state events, and large-scale public promotions paid for by taxpayers.
“What exactly is the moral distinction between Mohamed’s handouts and Ali’s last-minute promotions and grants?” a retired public servant asked. “Both leveraged influence. One just happened to hold the keys to the Treasury.”
A Divided Nation, A Narrow Victory, A Critical Moment
In the 2025 General and Regional Elections in Guyana, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) secured a total of 242,498 votes, maintaining its position as the governing party. The newly formed WIN made a historic debut with 109,066 votes, emerging as the main opposition force. The APNU followed with 77,998 votes, reflecting a significant decline in its political influence.
Smaller parties received minimal support, with the Alliance for Change (AFC) obtaining 3,610 votes, the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) garnering 4,326 votes, and the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP) finishing with 969 votes.
These results highlight a major shift in Guyana’s political landscape, with WIN disrupting the traditional two-party dominance and voter turnout remaining a critical concern.
And while the PPP/C may have won the most votes, the election has exposed a nation bitterly divided economically, socially, and politically.
With oil revenues projected to double in the coming years, the burden of restoring faith in public governance falls squarely on President Ali’s shoulders. He must choose to either double down on populism and patronage or confront the harsh truth that economic development alone does not build national unity or trust.
Because if the story of the 2025 election tells us anything, it is that glittering budgets, gleaming infrastructure, and glossy promises are not enough.
In Guyana today, it is not One Guyana. It is two, maybe more.
