Guyana Politics Explained, Who Holds Power in 2026

GUYANA · POLITICS

Guyana’s power sits with one president, a 36-seat governing party and a divided opposition. Here is who holds each office in October 2026.

Guyana politics in October 2026 is dominated by one party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), and one man, President Irfaan Ali. He won a second term in September 2025 and cannot run again.

The main opposition is now a newcomer, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), led by a businessman who faces a US extradition request. This guide names the office holders as of 23 October 2026, from the Cabinet to the courts.

It relies on government pages, the constitution and the Guyanese press. For daily news see the Rio Times Guyana page.

How Guyana Politics Works

Guyana is a co-operative republic on South America’s north coast. The president is head of state, supreme executive authority and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Voters do not pick the president directly. They vote for party lists nationwide, and the top candidate of the list with the most votes becomes president.

The Guyana Elections Commission declared Ali the winner on Saturday, 6 September 2025, five days after the 1 September vote. He took the oath on Sunday, 7 September 2025, for a second five-year term.

Article 90 of the constitution lets a person elected president after 2000 be re-elected only once. Ali was first elected in 2020, so his second term is his last.

The National Assembly has 65 seats filled by proportional representation from party lists. The 13th Parliament held its first sitting on Monday, 3 November 2025.

The Cabinet falls if the government loses a vote of confidence by a majority of all elected members, under Article 106. With 36 of 65 seats, the PPP/C holds that majority on its own.

For the country’s background read Guyana Explained. For the economy, read Who Runs Guyana’s Economy.

The President, the Prime Minister, the Vice President and the Cabinet

Irfaan Ali, a PPP/C member, is the ninth executive president of Guyana. He chairs the Cabinet and, under Article 89, commands the Guyana Defence Force.

The Irfaan Ali profile gives his background. His second term runs to 2030.

Mark Phillips, a retired brigadier, is Prime Minister and leader of government business in the National Assembly. The constitution calls him the president’s principal assistant.

Bharrat Jagdeo is Vice President and general secretary of the PPP. He was president from 11 August 1999 to 3 December 2011.

Ashni Singh holds the title Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance. He presented the 2026 budget of 1.558 trillion Guyanese dollars (about US$7.4 billion), which the government calls the largest in its history.

These ministers matter most for power in Georgetown. Their posts come from the 13 September 2025 swearing-in list of the Department of Public Information.

• Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who heads the foreign ministry.
• Anil Nandlall, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, who defends the government’s legal positions and hosts a weekly programme.
• Oneidge Walrond, Minister of Home Affairs, whose ministry oversees the police, fire service and prisons.
• Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources, whose ministry houses the Department of Energy that oversees oil and gas.
• Gail Teixeira, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, who answers for the government in budget debates.
• Frank Anthony, Minister of Health, and Vindhya Persaud, Minister of Human Services and Social Security.
• Warren Kwame McCoy, a minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for public affairs and information.

Two figures stand out beyond the president. Singh controls the budget, and Jagdeo leads the governing party.

Parliament and the Opposition

Manzoor Nadir is Speaker of the National Assembly and Vishwa Mahadeo is Deputy Speaker. Sherlock Isaacs is Clerk of the National Assembly, according to the parliament’s own minutes.

As declared in September 2025, the government holds 36 seats and the three opposition groups together hold 29. That gives the PPP/C a clear majority but not control of everything, because key posts need opposition agreement.

Azruddin Mohamed leads We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), a newcomer party that took 16 seats in 2025. The Speaker announced his election as Leader of the Opposition, by 17 votes, on Monday, 26 January 2026.

The US Treasury sanctioned Mohamed and his father Nazar on Tuesday, 11 June 2024, alleging gold-export tax evasion and bribery of officials. The US also seeks both men for alleged money laundering and fraud, and they are fighting extradition in Guyana’s courts.

Police arrested Mohamed on Monday, 12 October 2026, after a shooting near the Georgetown home of Special Branch chief Prem Narine. Narine is a witness in the extradition hearing, and Mohamed and two employees pleaded not guilty to gun possession and perverting-justice charges.

A magistrate granted each man bail of 750,000 Guyanese dollars (about US$3,583) on Friday, 16 October. They return to court on 6 November, and the government says an unlicensed pistol was found in the car.

Mohamed and his lawyer say police shot at the car and planted the pistol, and his office calls it an assassination attempt. The government rejects that account, and no court has tested it, as the Rio Times report on the arrest notes.

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), led by Aubrey Norton, heads the 12-seat A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) alliance. It was the main opposition until 2025 and is now third.

The Forward Guyana Movement holds one seat. Robert Corbin, PNCR leader from 2002 to 2012 and a former Leader of the Opposition, died on Sunday, 4 October 2026.

Corbin was cremated on Thursday, 15 October, and Norton, not Corbin, leads the PNCR today. At his wake on Wednesday, 14 October, Jagdeo urged the PPP and PNC to work together.

Jagdeo warned that both traditional parties face extinction unless they drop racial politics, and no formal talks have been announced. The Guyana PNC Future After Robert Corbin explains the options.

Courts, Police and the Army

Roxanne George-Wiltshire acts as Chancellor of the Judiciary, the head of the courts, and Navindra Singh acts as Chief Justice. Both were sworn into those acting roles on 4 August 2025, and both were still described as acting in July 2026.

Article 127 says the president needs the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition to appoint a permanent Chancellor or Chief Justice. Kaieteur News reported in August 2025 that both posts had lacked permanent holders for over 20 years.

On Tuesday, 13 October 2026, the Court of Appeal reserved its ruling on the Mohameds’ constitutional challenge to the extradition law. The acting Chancellor said it has up to one month to decide, News Room Guyana reported.

Clifton Hicken is Commissioner of Police. Article 211 requires the president to consult the Leader of the Opposition and the Police Service Commission chair first.

The Police Service Commission had not been reconstituted as of 22 October 2026, according to Demerara Waves. A government legal opinion says Article 212 stops Hicken disciplining a deputy commissioner who faces untested allegations.

Brigadier Omar Khan is Chief of Defence Staff, the head of the Guyana Defence Force. The force answers to the president and patrols the western border with Venezuela.

President Ali and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a joint declaration at the Pentagon on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. It names training, combined exercises and air-domain awareness.

Venezuela disputes Guyana’s western Essequibo region. The International Court of Justice heard the case from 4 to 11 May 2026, and no judgment date has been announced.

The Guyana Geopolitics Explained 2026 covers the foreign policy side. The Guyana Signs US Defence Pact on 21 October covers the 21 October signing.

The Elections Body, Regions and Local Councils

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) runs elections and is chaired by retired Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh. Vishnu Persaud is the Chief Election Officer who advised it on the 2025 result.

In February 2026 WIN asked for three opposition-nominated commissioners to be replaced, and they declined to step down. Demerara Waves reported that month, citing sources, that the commission had not met in recent times.

Guyana has 10 administrative regions, each with a Regional Democratic Council. President Ali swore in the new regional chairpersons and vice chairpersons on Thursday, 27 November 2025.

Below them sit towns and neighbourhood councils. The 2026 budget funds local government elections, but the poll date has not been confirmed.

Guyana has no governors or states. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development works with the regions.

What It Means for US Readers

US companies and visitors deal with a government that has a firm majority, a stable Cabinet and strong ties to Washington. The 21 October defence declaration deepens those ties.

Investors should note that oil decisions sit with a small circle around Ali, Jagdeo and Singh. The Who Runs Guyana’s Economy names the companies behind them.

The US extradition case against the opposition leader links Guyanese politics to US courts and sanctions. Americans in Guyana should expect political news to follow police and court events closely.

Travellers should check US State Department advice before going. Politics can move quickly, as the 12 October arrest showed.

What Is Not Known

The date of the next local government elections is not confirmed. The date of the International Court of Justice judgment on the border is not public.

No successor to Ali has been named for 2030, and Jagdeo’s own plans have not been stated. The outcome of the extradition case and of the firearm charges against Mohamed is not known, and nothing here has been proved.

The date when the Police Service Commission will be reconstituted is not public. The Court of Appeal’s ruling date is not known, and neither is the result of the separate extradition hearing.

Whether permanent judicial heads will be agreed with the opposition is not known. Whether GECOM has resumed meeting since February 2026 was not confirmed.

The Chief of Defence Staff was last confirmed in office in a May 2026 release. Seat numbers are the 2025 declared results, and later changes in membership or vote percentages were not confirmed.

No prediction market on Guyanese politics is shown. The row has none.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the president of Guyana in 2026?

Irfaan Ali, of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, holds the office. He was sworn in for a second five-year term on 7 September 2025.

Can Irfaan Ali run again in 2030?

No, he cannot. Article 90 of the constitution lets a person elected president after 2000 be re-elected only once.

Who is the Leader of the Opposition in Guyana?

Azruddin Mohamed of We Invest in Nationhood. The Speaker announced his election on 26 January 2026.

How many seats does each Guyana party hold?

The PPP/C holds 36 of 65 seats, WIN 16, the APNU alliance 12 and the Forward Guyana Movement 1. The elections commission declared these results on 6 September 2025.

Who is Guyana’s prime minister?

Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips is Prime Minister. He is the president’s principal assistant and leads government business in the Assembly.

Does Guyana have governors?

No, it has no governors. It has 10 regions, each with a Regional Democratic Council and a chairperson.

Sources: Guyana Elections Commission declaration via DPI (6 September 2025); GECOM statement (6 September 2025); DPI, swearing-in (7 September 2025); Constitution of Guyana, Parliament of Guyana; Parliament of Guyana, minutes of the 2nd sitting (26 January 2026); Parliament of Guyana; Office of the President, Vice President biography; DPI, US defence declaration (21 October 2026); International Court of Justice, Guyana v. Venezuela; DPI, acting Chancellor and Chief Justice (24 October 2025); High Commission of Guyana, swearing-in of acting Chancellor and Chief Justice (4 August 2025); DPI, new Cabinet (13 September 2025); US Treasury, sanctions on the Mohamed family (11 June 2024); Kaieteur News, acting Chancellor (5 August 2025); News Room Guyana, Court of Appeal (13 October 2026); News Room Guyana, government statement (13 October 2026); Kaieteur News, Mohamed in custody (15 October 2026); Kaieteur News, Corbin funeral (16 October 2026); Demerara Waves, Corbin death (4 October 2026); Demerara Waves, Mohamed account (13 October 2026); Demerara Waves, bail (17 October 2026); DPI, judiciary (July 2026); DPI, Jagdeo at Corbin wake (15 October 2026); DPI, regional chairpersons (27 November 2025); DPI, Budget 2026 (27 January 2026); Demerara Waves, police commission (22 October 2026); Demerara Waves, Mohamed court case (19 October 2026); Demerara Waves, GECOM and local elections (9 February 2026); DPI, joint services parade (16 May 2026) (all accessed 23 October 2026). Exchange rate 209.32 Guyanese dollars per US$1, open.er-api.com, 23 October 2026.