Massive shakeup as APNU & AFC bleed 68,000+ votes in Reg. 4; PPP/C blazes ahead

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) — primarily composed of the People’s National Congress (PNC) — has experienced a significant decline in support in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) during this year’s General and Regional Elections, signaling a major shift in the country’s political landscape.

The PNC – which rebranded as the APNU in 2011 – has traditionally maintained solid support in the region, the most populous and politically significant region, encompassing Georgetown and its environs.

For instance, in 2020, when the APNU contested the elections in a coalition with the Alliance For Change (AFC), it had received 116,941 votes from the population in the general elections and 116,403 votes in the regional elections.

However, in Monday’s polls, APNU’s support plummeted to just 46,956 votes in the general elections and 46,772 in the regional. The AFC, contesting separately, managed only 1,765 votes in the general and 1,833 in the regional – reflecting a combined decline of more than 68,000 votes.

For the first time in the country’s history, the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has now taken control of Region Four, earning almost twice as much votes as the APNU.

In the general elections, the PPP/C secured a remarkable 87,536 votes, while in the regional elections it received 87,018. This marks a notable increase from the 2020 elections, when the party garnered 80,920 votes in the general and 81,279 in the regional – reflecting a gain of over 6,600 votes.

Controlling Region 4 gives the PPP/C enhanced influence over local governance and administrative priorities in the capital region. The party, during its campaign, had continuously urged voters to support them not only nationally but regionally to ensure collective development across the country.

In a historic feat, the PPP/C has secured victories in eight of the country’s ten administrative regions/voting districts.

The country’s traditional and longstanding opposition, the PNC/APNU, has suffered a significant decline in support and is on the verge of being replaced as the nation’s primary political and parliamentary opposition.

Its former coalition partner, the AFC, has also suffered major losses and has been ousted from Parliament after failing to secure enough votes to win even a single seat.

The main parliamentary opposition will now comprise the We Invest Nationhood (WIN) party which was formed a few months ago by US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed.

Once an emerging third force in Guyana, the AFC had won 5 out of 65 seats in Parliament at the 2006 elections and seven in 2011. It had teamed up with the APNU in 2015 and together they won that year’s elections but their term was cut short in 2018 when their government fell to a no-confidence motion.

In 2020, AFC’s popularity declined. Together, the APNU and AFC had held 31 seats in the National Assembly, forming the main parliamentary opposition. Of these, the AFC itself occupied 9 of those seats, while the remaining 22 were held by APNU politicians.

In addition to the National Assembly, APNU and AFC have lost power at the regional levels. WIN now controls the remaining two of the country’s administrative regions/voting districts – Regions Seven and Ten.

PPP/C secures Reg. 4 with over 87,000 votes