Dear Editor,
Many writers have commended Mr. Azruddin Mohamed and his WIN party for their remarkable ascent in politics, having secured 16 parliamentary seats and bringing an apparent end to the PNCR’s long standing dominance in region 10 (Linden). The WIN party’s achievements also resulted in the PNCR becoming a minority parliamentary party.
WIN also weakened the PNCR support in their region 4 stronghold (Georgetown, East Bank Demerara and East Coast Demerara). The PNCR’s share of votes in region 4, for example, dropped by 60% from 116,941 votes at General and Regional Elections (GRE) 2020 to 26% or 46,949 at GRE 2025, due to WIN attracting mainly PNCR and AFC supporters along with new voters, gaining a total of 41,607 votes.
WIN gained the backing from dissatisfied supporters of the PNCR and AFC, as well as a small segment of PPP/C supporters (particularly in regions 2 and 6) who wanted swift, practical answers to corruption and resolution of issues affecting families and communities. The driving force was the grip of materialism, a concomitant of modernization, in which instant gratification is contributing to a growing culture of handouts!
Going into the GRE 2025, the PPP/C was skeptical about WIN’s electoral influence, citing its inexperienced leadership, legal challenges, weak organization, and unclear policies. The PPP/C’s leadership doubted WIN’s financial offers would change traditional voting patterns, although they recognize that money plays a key role in political mobilization.
The PNCR held a different perspective; they believed that WIN would diminish the PPP/C’s influence, potentially making it into a minority government. But the PPP/C supporters dismissed this viewpoint and became determined not only to win the 2025 elections but also to increase their parliamentary seats. The PPP/C regarded the PNCR’s leadership as lacking inspiration, accused them of race-based campaigning, noted that key members were leaving, and criticized them for not apologizing for the five months of post 2020 elections fiasco. As a result, traditional PNCR and AFC voters, who value integrity, decided to penalize these parties in the 2025 GRE.
At political rallies, while the PPP/C promoted their social and infrastructure successes and proclaimed the fulfillment of all campaign promises, both WIN and PNCR criticized the government for corruption and high living costs. Supporters of these parties dismissed government efforts at implementation of COL relief measures and infrastructure projects, staying focused on concerns about corruption, immediate needs, and rising expenses.
Dr. Irfaan Ali’s PPP/C believed that their solid achievements deserved a second term. They carried out a robust and sustained election campaign that allowed them to increase their region 4 votes by 6,618 between 2020 and 2025, thus claiming 48.4% of total valid votes cast there, benefiting from a weaker PNCR and attracting cross over votes from PNCR and AFC voters in Georgetown, Plaisance, and BV, among others. The PPP/C also increased the size of their national votes from 2020 by 9,159.
PPP/C offset the votes lost to WIN by attracting cross-over support, especially from PNCR backers. In George-town (Region 4), PPP/C received 32.4% of the 66,957 total valid votes cast. In North Georgetown, PPP/C secured 43% of valid votes cast. In South Georgetown, it received 24.2% of the valid votes cast there. Instances of cross-party voting for the PPP/C were observed in various North Georgetown constituencies including Cummingsburg, Alberttown, Subryanville, and Queenstown, among others. Similarly, in South Georgetown, the PPP/C received notable crossover support in areas such as Charlestown, West Ruimveldt, and TUCVille.
The rise in crossover voting shows that voters are prioritizing issues over ethnicity. Future electoral strategies should target (1) immediate needs like “conditional” cash grants, subsidies, cost-of-living relief, and community services; (2) medium-term objectives such as educational grants, recycling, reliable electricity, and training; (3) and long-term projects including roads, bridges, hospitals, and Hope-like canals.
WIN has significantly changed Guyana’s political landscape, prompting parties to adjust their approaches. However, WIN has lost credibility when its leadership claims that it won GRE 2025 and that the PPP/C rigged the elections while failing to produce any evidence. Although WIN’s future is uncertain due to its leadership’s legal struggles, the PPP/C’s performance in Georgetown suggests they may challenge the PNCR’s control of the Mayor and Town Council at the 2026 LGE election.