THE 2023 Local Government Elections are over and it is now time to move on. As expected, the PPP/C won an overwhelming majority of the constituencies, including those which were considered traditional APNU strongholds.
The opposition APNU will no doubt put its own political spin on the results to disguise its defeat but the harsh reality is that the political opposition has been underperforming for quite some time reaching a point where it is now severely challenged to hold on to seats which it once regarded as ‘safe’.

The PPP/C, on the other hand, has been making incremental gains in almost all the contested areas, including the capital city of Georgetown, where it has increased its tally of seats significantly. A similar pattern is evident in New Amsterdam and Linden which were once considered PNC ‘strongholds’.
The election results have not as yet been officially released by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) but from preliminary results obtained from the Statements of Poll (SOPs) the PPP/C is in a commanding lead winning roughly sixty-five of the 80 contested areas, either fully or by way of a plurality. This by any account, is nothing short of a major political landslide for which the PPP/C must be given credit.

According to Vice-president and PPP General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, the PPP/C has won the town of Bartica for the first time. This, he said, is a significant development, especially when seen against the background of Bartica being in past years under the political sway of the PNC. Lethem, Region Nine was a no-contest as the APNU did not field candidates leaving the field open for the PPP/C to take. The margin of victories in the other towns, including Mabaruma, Madhia, Anna Regina, Rose Hall and Corriverton, have increased substantially compared to that of the 2018 local government elections.

In Georgetown, the PPP/C has won more constituencies than in the past and the vote differential between the PPP/C and APNU is significantly lower, an indication of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural character of the PPP/C.

The election results, significant as they may be, are much more than a numbers game. It is an important aspect of the governance process where citizens are provided with an opportunity to elect individuals and parties which, in their opinion, are best suited to represent their interests. Given such a scenario, it is not a case of ‘winners’ or ‘losers. The whole of Guyana wins when the democratic process throws up leaders, both at the national and the local levels that enjoy the confidence of the electorate in verifiable free and fair elections. As such there should be no room for triumphalism and political arrogance. Leaders are expected to take up their responsibilities with dignity and humility with only one thing in mind, namely to represent the interests of the constituents to which they have the privilege of serving by virtue of their elected offices.