British Guiana general election, 1947

Last updated March 16, 2019

General elections were held in British Guiana on 24 November 1947. The British Guiana Labour Party emerged as the largest party, winning five of the 14 seats. Voter turnout was 71%.^[1]

British Guiana was the name of the British colony, part of the British West Indies (Caribbean), on the northern coast of South America, now known as the independent nation of Guyana.

The British Guiana Labour Party (BGCP) was a political party in British Guiana.

Electoral system

Constitutional changes in 1943 resulted in a 25-member Legislative Council, of which 14 seats were elected, seven held by appointed members and four by members of the appointed Executive Council.^[2] The franchise was also changed; with the right to vote was extended to people earning at least $10 a month, although candidates were required to have a monthly income of at least $100.^[1] As a result, the electorate increased in size from 9,514 in the 1935 elections to 59,193.^[3]

The Legislative Council was the legislature of British Guiana between 1928 and 1953 and again from 1954 until 1961.

The elections were using fourteen single-member constituencies.^[4]

Campaign

The elections were contested by the Manpower Citizens' Association (MPCA), the British Guiana Labour Party (BGLP), as well as 31 independents, who included three members of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and one from the Women's Political and Economic Organisation.^[3] The BGCP contested 13 of the 14 seats, with the MPCA putting forward seven candidates.^[3]

The Manpower Citizens' Association was a trade union and political party in British Guiana.

The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) was a political party in British Guiana.

The BGLP campaigned for the introduction of universal suffrage, and creation of a 24-member Legislative Council and self-government within five years, as well as land redistribution and more housebuilding. The MPCA called for the nationalisation of industry and the introduction of land settlement schemes.^[3] Grenadian independence campaigner Theophilus A. Marryshow arrived in British Guiana to celebrate the BGLP's anniversary, and also campaigned for the party.^[3]

The concept of universal suffrage, also known as general suffrage or common suffrage, consists of the right to vote of all adult citizens, regardless of property ownership, income, race, or ethnicity, subject only to minor exceptions. In its original 19th-century usage by political reformers, universal suffrage was understood to mean only universal manhood suffrage; the vote was extended to women later, during the women's suffrage movement.

Results

Party	Votes	Seats
British Guiana Labour Party		5
Manpower Citizens' Association		1
Independents		8
Total		14
Registered voters/turnout	59,193	–
Source: Stabroek News

Elected members

Constituency	Member	Party
Berbice River	Clement Patrick Ferreira
Central Demerara	Cheddi Jagan	Independent (PAC)
Demerara-Essequibo	Jung Bahadur Singh	British Guiana Labour Party
Demerara River	Joseph Patrick Coghlan
Eastern Berbice	George Mayo Gonsalves
Eastern Demerara	Daniel Prabhudas Debidin
Essequibo River	Theophilus Lee
Georgetown Central	John Fernandes
Georgetown North	J.A. Nicholson	British Guiana Labour Party
Georgetown South	Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow	British Guiana Labour Party
New Amsterdam	Rudy Kendall
North Western District	William Phang
Western Berbice	Aaron Theophilus Peters
Western Essequibo	Claude Vibart Wight
Source: Parliament of Guyana

Aftermath

Following the elections, the election of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow in South Georgetown was overturned by an electoral petition that claimed false statements had been made against his opponent Frances Stafford, including that she had kicked an African child and been fined. Critchlow was banned from contesting the by-election,^[5] which was subsequently won by John Carter, who defeated Stafford.^[6]

Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow is notable as the founder of the modern trade union movement in Guyana.

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References

1 2 The PAC and the 1947 Elections Guyana.org
↑ Constitutional changes (1941-1947) Guyana.org
1 2 3 4 5 The 1947 parliamentary elections in colonial British Guiana Stabroek News, 6 May 2010
↑ Odeen Ishmael (2013) The Guyana Story: From Earliest Times to Independence, Xlibris Corporation, p391^{[ self-published source ]}
↑ Ishmael, p323
↑ Ishmael, p403

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[PAC-1] 1 2 The PAC and the 1947 Elections Guyana.org

[2] Constitutional changes (1941-1947) Guyana.org

[SN-3] 1 2 3 4 5 The 1947 parliamentary elections in colonial British Guiana Stabroek News, 6 May 2010

[4] Odeen Ishmael (2013) The Guyana Story: From Earliest Times to Independence, Xlibris Corporation, p391^{[ self-published source ]}

[5] Ishmael, p323

[6] Ishmael, p403

v t e Elections and referendums in Guyana
General elections	1892 1897 1901 1906 1911 1916 1921 1926 1930 1935 1947 1953 1957 1961 1964 1968 1973 1980 1985 1992 1997 2001 2006 2011 2015
Referendums	1978