Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], September 8: Guyana's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali has promised "to lead Guyana into a future of shared prosperity," after he secured another five-year term in the flourishing, oil-rich country's elections.
"Every community counts, every citizen matters and every dream deserves a chance to flourish," Ali, who has been governing the South American nation since 2020, said after the official results were published on Saturday.
"Together we'll transform this country of ours into the land of shared prosperity that it is destined to be," Ali said in a video message posted on Facebook. Ali's People's Progressive Party (PPP) garnered the most seats in the National Assembly in the vote, which was held on September 1. Under the country's electoral law, this means the party automatically gets to appoint the president.
Situated on the northern tip of South America, Guyana has been recording one of the world's highest economic growth rates for years - triggered by extensive oil discoveries off the coast. According to Edwin Schuh from the state foreign trade agency Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), the government has been using the revenue to improve transport infrastructure, the health sector and energy supply.
However, citizens continue to face many challenges, he noted. Some 58% of the population lives in poverty, according to a 2024 report by the Inter-American Development Bank. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), targeted measures are needed to ensure that low-income citizens also benefit from economic growth. Home to some 800,000, Guyana is embroiled in a border dispute with Venezuela, which claims the oil-rich Essequibo region that is internationally recognized as part of Guyana.
Source: Qatar Tribune
