The politics of Guyana takes place in a framework of a representative democratic assembly-independent republic,whereby the President of Guyana is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the President,advised by a cabinet. Legislative power is vested in both the President and the National Assembly of Guyana. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies,the British Overseas Territories,some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King-in-Council,the Privy Council formerly acted as the court of last resort for the entire British Empire,other than for the United Kingdom itself.
The history of Guyana begins about 35,000 years ago with the arrival of humans coming from Eurasia. These migrants became the Carib and Arawak tribes,who met Alonso de Ojeda's first expedition from Spain in 1499 at the Essequibo River. In the ensuing colonial era,Guyana's government was defined by the successive policies of Spanish,French,Dutch,and British settlers. During the colonial period,Guyana's economy was focused on plantation agriculture,which initially depended on slave labor. Guyana saw major slave rebellions in 1763 and 1823. Following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833,800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa were freed,resulting in plantations contracting indentured workers,mainly from India. Eventually,these Indians joined forces with Afro-Guyanese descendants of slaves to demand equal rights in government and society. After the Second World War,the British Empire pursued policy decolonization of its overseas territories,with independence granted to British Guiana on May 26,1966. Following independence,Forbes Burnham of the rose to power,quickly becoming an authoritarian leader,pledging to bring socialism to Guyana. His power began to weaken following international attention brought to Guyana in wake of the Jonestown mass murder suicide in 1978.
Cheddi Berret Jagan was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to his death in 1997. In 1953,he became the first person of Indian descent to be a head of government outside of the Indian subcontinent.
Bharrat Jagdeo is a Guyanese politician who has been serving as Vice President of Guyana since 2020,in the administration of President Irfaan Ali. He had previously also held the office from 1997 until 1999,during the presidency of Janet Jagan. Jagdeo subsequently served as the President of Guyana from 11 August 1999 to 3 December 2011. He also holds a number of global leadership positions in the areas of sustainable development,green growth and climate change.
Elections in Guyana take place within the framework of a multi-party representative democracy and a presidential system. The National Assembly is directly elected,with the nominee of the party or alliance that receives the most votes becoming President.
The People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is a democratic socialist,left-wing populist political party in Guyana. As of 2020,the party holds 33 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly and forms the government. It has been the ruling party in the past as well,most recently between 1992 and 2015. In Guyana's ethnically divided political landscape,the PPP/C is a multi-ethnic organization that is supported primarily by Indo-Guyanese people.
The Caribbean Court of Justice is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Established in 2005,it is based in Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) persons in Belize face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens,although attitudes have been changing in recent years. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Belize in 2016,when the Supreme Court declared Belize's anti-sodomy law unconstitutional. Belize's constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex,which Belizean courts have interpreted to include sexual orientation.
Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez,531 U.S. 533 (2001),is a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States concerning the constitutionality of funding restrictions imposed by the United States Congress. At issue were restrictions on the Legal Services Corporation (LSC),a private,nonprofit corporation established by Congress. The restrictions prohibited LSC attorneys from representing clients attempting to amend existing welfare law. The case was brought by Carmen Velazquez,whose LSC-funded attorneys sought to challenge existing welfare provisions since they believed that it was the only way to get Velazquez financial relief.
The Official Gazette of Guyana is the government gazette of Guyana.
The Ministry of Legal Affairs and Attorney General's Chambers ensures that proper legal services are provided to the Government of Guyana,as well as statutory services to the public. The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs is the head of the chambers. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal affairs handles administrative responsibilities for the departments within the Ministry and is the Accounting Officer. The Advice and Litigation Division and the Drafting Division of the Attorney General's Chambers are headed by the Attorney General and Chief Parliamentary Counsel respectively.
Snap general elections were held in Guyana on 2 March 2020. They were called early after the government of President David A. Granger lost a vote of no confidence by a margin of 33–32 on 21 December 2018,the government having held a one-seat majority since the 2015 elections. However,one of its own MPs,Charrandas Persaud of the Alliance for Change (AFC),voted with the opposition. Granger announced on 25 September 2019 that the elections would be held on 2 March 2020.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali is a Guyanese politician who is currently serving as the tenth president of Guyana since 2020. He is the first Muslim to hold the office,along with being the second Muslim head of state in the Americas after Noor Hassanali of Trinidad and Tobago.
Events in the year 2020 in Guyana.
Mark Anthony Phillips is a Guyanese politician and retired military officer who is the prime minister of Guyana and first vice president under President Irfaan Ali since August 2020. He served as the chief of staff of the Guyana Defence Force from 2013 to 2016. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in September 1981.
Oneidge Walrond is a Guyanese politician. She is the current Minister of Tourism,Industry,and Commerce in Guyana. Walrond was appointed Minister by President Irfaan Ali on August 5,2020.
General elections are constitutionally mandated to be held in Guyana by 2025 to elect members of the National Assembly and the President of Guyana. The incumbent President is Mohamed Irfaan Ali,who was elected in the March 2020 elections. He is eligible to seek a second and final term,with the constitution limiting presidents to two terms.
Guyanese 