Guyana
Guyana, 1970 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Guyana was colonised by the Dutch, and it gained independence in 1966 and officially became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. On 5 October 1992, a new National Assembly and regional councils were elected in the first Guyanese election since 1964 to be internationally recognised as free and fair. A referendum in neighbouring Venezuela was held in December 2023 on the annexation of the Essequibo region, which is disputed with Guyana and has been under Guyanese control since its founding. In 2015, major oil reserves were discovered off the coast by ExxonMobil.
Seat of power: Georgetown
Rulers
Arthur Chung
President of Guyana, 1970–1980
When Guyana became a republic under the dictatorship of Forbes Burnham in 1970, the Guyanese National Assembly elected Chung president, making him the first president of Guyana; he took office on 17 March 1970. In 1980 a constitutional revision transformed the presidency into an executive position, and Burnham succeeded Chung as president on 6 October 1980.
Portrait of Arthur Chung: Government Information Agency, Guyana, Copyrighted free use, file
Forbes Burnham
President of Guyana, 1980–1985
His premiership was characterized by the nationalisation of foreign-owned private industries, membership of the Non-Aligned Movement and authoritarian domestic policy. He served as Premier of British Guiana from 1964 to 1966, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 to 1980 and then as the first executive president of Guyana (2nd president overall) from 1980 to 1985. Following independence, Forbes Burnham of the People's National Congress rose to power, quickly becoming a repressive authoritarian leader.
Portrait of Forbes Burnham: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, file
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Desmond Hoyte
President of Guyana, 1985–1992
On Burnham's death on 6 August 1985, Hoyte became the third President of Guyana. Responding to criticisms of previous elections as fraudulent, he agreed to certain reforms. Immediately after becoming President, Hoyte removed bans on imported food items and opened Guyana to greater international trade.
Portrait of Desmond Hoyte: People's National Congress, CC0, file
Sam Hinds
Prime Minister of Guyana, 1992–2015
He first became prime minister under Cheddi Jagan in 1992, following the October 1992 election, which was won by the People's Progressive Party (PPP) welcoming Hinds and others (Civics) to work with them. He was Prime Minister of Guyana almost continuously from 1992 to 2015.
Portrait of Sam Hinds: Government Information Agency (GINA), Copyrighted free use, file
Janet Jagan
President of Guyana, 1997–1999
She was the first female president of Guyana, and the first American-born woman to serve as a head of state. Jagdeo became president in 1999 after Janet Jagan resigned for health reasons.
Portrait of Janet Jagan: Government Information Agency, Guyana, Copyrighted free use, file
Sam Hinds
President of Guyana, 1997–1997
When Jagan died in March 1997, Hinds became President himself, and appointed Jagan's widow Janet as prime minister.
Portrait of Sam Hinds: Government Information Agency (GINA), Copyrighted free use, file
Bharrat Jagdeo
President of Guyana, 1999–2011
Jagdeo subsequently served as the President of Guyana from 11 August 1999 to 3 December 2011. He was the first and youngest President of Guyana to relinquish office in accordance with term limits he signed into the Guyanese Constitution.
Portrait of Bharrat Jagdeo: Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, Suriname, and the Dutch OCTs (DELGUYGEO), Attribution, file
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Donald Ramotar
President of Guyana, 2011–2015
The election was held on 28 November 2011, and he was declared the winner when results were announced on 1 December. The PPP fell one seat short of a parliamentary majority, winning 32 out of 65 seats, meaning that Ramotar would serve as President while two opposition parties would together hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly. President Ramotar left office on 16 May 2015, when Granger was sworn in.
Portrait of Donald Ramotar: Government Information Agency Guyana (GINA), Copyrighted free use, file
David A. Granger
President of Guyana, 2015–2020
Granger was sworn in as President of Guyana on 16 May 2015, ending 23 years of PPP rule. He lost a vote of confidence on 21 December 2018 that led to a snap election.
Portrait of David A. Granger: Wilsom Dias/Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br, file
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Irfaan Ali
President of Guyana, 2020 to today
His swearing in as Guyana's tenth president was delayed for months, until 2 August 2020, due to extensive legal challenges regarding the integrity of the election and a recount of all electoral ballots. He won re-election to a second term as president in the general election held on 1 September 2025.
Portrait of Irfaan Ali: U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, file
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Culture
- The official language of the country is English, although a large part of the population is bilingual in English and the Indigenous languages.
- Nine Indigenous tribes reside in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Macushi, Patamona, Lokono, Kalina, Wapishana, Pemon, Akawaio, and Warao.
- The legacy of British colonialism is reflected in the country's political administration, lingua franca and diverse population, which includes Indian, African, Amerindian, Chinese, Portuguese, other European, and various multiracial groups.
Picture
Kaieteur Falls is one of the most powerful single-drop waterfalls in the world and is 226 metres high when measured from its plunge to the first break.
Image: Sorenriise at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.