Irfaan Ali will be tasked with turning the profits of Guyana’s 2019 oil boom into prosperity for its citizens
Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, has proclaimed victory in this week’s general and regional elections after his party won more than 240,000 votes and seven of the country’s ten electoral districts.
“The results are all out there, as published by the Guyana elections commission. The numbers are clear. The people have spoken in an overwhelming way. We have won these elections with a remarkable margin,” he told the Guardian on Wednesday.
Tasked with turning the South American nation’s newfound oil riches into prosperity while navigating tensions with neighbouring Venezuela, Ali faces the uphill challenge of reconstructing a country with the highest proven crude oil reserves per capita but one of the highest poverty levels in Latin America.
According to a 2024 report by the Inter-American Development Bank, 58% of Guyanese live in poverty despite an oil boom that has quadrupled the state budget since production began in 2019.
