President Irfaan Ali was sworn in for a second term Sunday after securing reelection last weekend, promising to harness Guyana’s growing offshore oil and gas revenue to expand development and social programs.
The country’s electoral commission certified Ali’s victory Saturday and reported that his People’s Progressive Party secured 36 of the 65 seats in Parliament, giving the governing party a working majority. The certification followed a campaign in which Guyana’s recent energy discoveries and how to manage the resulting wealth were central issues.
In a speech after taking the oath, the 45-year-old urban planner urged unity and laid out an agenda of rapid economic expansion and expanded social benefits. "The next five years will be the most consequential in our nation," he said, adding that the government had been given the resources and international partnerships needed to "transform promise into reality." He also said his administration would continue programs that "build more prosperity in every family and every home."
Ali has overseen a series of construction projects during his first term, including new hospitals and highways, and his administration has moved to channel oil revenue into public spending. Officials said the government expects to begin offering free college tuition this month. Ali also pledged to raise the monthly minimum wage, more than double pensions so that people 65 and older receive $500 monthly, and halve electricity bills by next year.
Guyana has drawn increasing international attention since vast offshore oil reserves were discovered about a decade ago, a development that has substantially altered the country’s economic prospects. The production boom has generated large revenues but also brought heightened political scrutiny, questions about governance, and geopolitical concerns in a region that includes Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela.
The resource-rich Essequibo region, administered by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela, remains a point of diplomatic tension. The U.S. State Department congratulated Ali on his reelection and said it looked forward to working with his government to "advance our shared foreign policy priorities, including strengthening energy security and supporting Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly with respect to the Essequibo region."
Ali defeated 38-year-old businessman Azruddin Mohamed in the election. Mohamed and his father, and their gold-exporting company, have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for what the Treasury described as roles in public corruption.
Analysts say Ali’s second-term priorities will likely test his administration’s ability to manage rapid growth, balance investments in public services with fiscal oversight, and navigate regional diplomatic pressures tied to natural resources. With a parliamentary majority and international attention on Guyana’s energy sector, Ali begins his new term facing both heightened expectations and intensified scrutiny over how oil wealth will be used to shape the country’s future.