This article was published on the 7th of April, 2020 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: April 7, 2020 at 18:37 pm
The promise of great oil wealth has raised the stakes in the fight to win the March 2020 elections in Guyana, South America. As Guyana is set to received billions of dollars from oil revenue within the next ten years, the two main political parties battle for the prize.
It is observed that the two main political parties of Guyana are supported by two different races. Although there are a few Afro-Guyanese supporters also, the PPP/C is supported mainly by Indo-Guyanese. In the same way, while there are a few exceptions, the APNU/AFC is supported mainly by Afro-Guyanese. This has plunged Guyana into a sort of ethnic war. But will that ethnic war develop into an actual war for oil? Let’s hope not!
The March 2 elections, which was dubbed by many as “the mother of all elections” in Guyana, did not go well. The APNU/AFC, who happens to be in government at the time of the elections, made several attempts to rig the elections, giving clear indication that they have lost the elections.
Even though the APNU/AFC has lost the elections, they don’t want to concede defeat and let the PPP/C take over. Instead, they are holding on to power using the military and police forces – sliding the country down a path of dictatorship. The United States, European Union, Organization of American States and several other powers have warned the APNU/AFC government to respect the rule of law and count the votes transparently.
But the APNU/AFC has refused to do that, leading to a standoff between APNU/AFC and PPP/C supporters. Since elections in March 2, 2020, the Guyana Elections Commission has not been able to declare a winner. There has been riots and at least one protestor has been killed by police so far.
Onlookers from foreign countries are saying that this is not looking nice at all. They are fearing the worse, but hoping for the best.