Guyana, flush with oil riches, votes for leader

By Kemol King

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Guyanese voters were casting ballots on Monday to choose 65 members of parliament and a president who will determine how riches from the South American country's hydrocarbon boom will be spent.

The country of 800,000 people has earned some $7.5 billion in revenue from oil sales and royalties since ExxonMobil started pumping offshore oil in late 2019, making Guyana one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

President Irfaan Ali, in office since 2020, is seeking reelection representing the People's Progressive Party. His government has funneled oil revenue into building roads, schools, and hospitals, and made studying at the state university free.

"We ran a very positive campaign, a campaign based on a track record, a campaign based on trust, commitment, one that was based on unity," Ali told journalists on Monday after casting his ballot in his home village of Leonora.

The elections commission plans to deliver the results by Wednesday.

PPP voters who spoke to Reuters were optimistic the party can maintain control of the legislature and the presidency, but opposition groups have gained ground with voters by decrying what they say is unfair distribution of oil earnings to groups connected to the PPP. The PPP denies the allegation.

The vote is "an opportunity to ensure there's a reallocation of the resources that come from oil to the people of Guyana, rather than the present approach, in which most of the resources go to family, friends and favorites," said Aubrey Norton, the presidential candidate for the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Political loyalties in Guyana have long been split largely along ethnic lines between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese communities.

Three of the five parties challenging the PPP have also pledged to renegotiate the country's contract with Exxon.

Some hope to leverage Monday's vote to deny Ali's party a majority in parliament, which it currently controls by a single seat, and force it to seek opposition support for its legislation.

Adding uncertainty to the race is the new We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party, led by popular businessman Azruddin Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the U.S. last year over allegations that he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, defrauded the Guyanese government of tax revenue and bribed public officials. They deny any wrongdoing.

The younger Mohamed's party has published a manifesto calling for fairer access to housing and opportunities for everyone, not a privileged few.

He has attracted grassroots support, particularly among voters seeking an alternative to establishment parties, and on Monday urged early voting, especially by young people.

"One of my expectations is for WIN to improve the justice system, the health facilities, and human services," said WIN supporter Carlton Hazelwood, 27. He added that welfare programs run by the government are not reaching people who need them.

Voting at some 2,800 polling places began at 6 a.m. (noon GMT) and will close at 6 p.m.

Guyana's 2020 election was marred by a five-month standoff over vote counting.