Indepth Analysis of Guyana Elections 2011

In 2006 68.5% of the eligible voters turned to cast a ballot for the General Assembly and regional Government. This election had just over 72% of Voters casting a ballot. With only 3 parties and TUF showed how the political landscape has changed in Guyana since independence. TUF has become a footnote with only 853 votes from a high of a seat.

This shows that the democratic process is maturing in Guyana with 3 main parties, PPP/C, The collation APNU and the AFC. 

The PPP/C is losing steam as in 1997 they had over 220,000 votes and with a steady decline under Jagdeo leadership  fell to just over 210,013 votes in 2001 which further fell to 183,887 in 2006. This year the PPP/C has fallen to 167,183 votes and President Ramotar has a challenge to stop this downward trend.

AFC, which contested elections for the first time in 2006 won 5 seats with a total of 28,366 votes, had voters growth in all regions except region 4, 7 and 10 but had tremendous support in region 5 and 6 where they almost triple their vote count in 2011 versus 2006.

The new Collation APNU has garnered an increase in their vote count. In the 2001 polls the combination of the political parties had a total of over 170,000 votes which dropped in the 2006 elections to just over 120,000 votes mainly due to the entrance of the AFC. Albeit the 2011 elections show a resurgence of the APNU in the vote count to just under 140,000 votes.

One also must take note that the Guyanese voters may be becoming complacent as the turn out at the polls have dwindle to less than two thirds of the registered voters casting a ballot in 2011 from a high of 91% in 2001.

The political parties have to take note that the PPP/C losing two regional seats to the AFC. The AFC has increase the vote count from 8% of the total votes cast in 2006 to just over 10% of the total votes in 2011. The APNU also increase their overall percentage from just 34% in 2006 to just over 40% in 2011, causing the PPP/C to drop to a near 49% of total votes cast in 2011, from a comfortable majority of 54% in 2006.

Now that the PPP/C has taken office, again they will create a majority in the General Assembly by naming four Ministers/Parliament Secretaries to the House and may even name a Speaker from outside the Assembly creating the majority needed.