GECOM confirms: PPP grabs more seats in Georgetown, New Amsterdam

Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 June 2023, 9:31 by Denis Chabrol

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has secured additional seats in Georgetown, and New Amsterdam, and sufficient votes to get the mayoral post in Bartica,  according to official results released by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Those towns are regarded as traditional strongholds of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

GECOM said in Georgetown, the PPP won a total of 11 seats  and APNU 19.

Through the Proportional Representation  (PR) component, the PPP won six and APNU nine. Of the 34,507 ballots cast, there were 313 spoiled ballots, 20,839 for APNU and 12,533 for the PPP.

The PPP won five constituencies and APNU 10 in Georgetown. APNU’s highest constituency vote-getters were Troy Garraway with 2,970 votes, Clayton Hinds with 2,007 and Winston Harding 1,944 while the PPP’s are Param Persaud with 1,566 , Rudolph Dyal with 1,253 and Romesh Persaud and 1,091.

Back in 2018, of the 28,436 valid votes cast in Georgetown under the PR system, APNU had won 18, 127 (nine seats) , Alliance For Change 3,059 (two seats)  and PPP 7,050 (four seats). The PPP had won three constituencies in 2018 and APNU 12. Overall, the combined APNU and AFC had occupied 23 seats and PPP 7

Across in Bartica, the PPP and APNU each picked up nine seats in this year’s local polls.

Based on the 3,385 valid votes cast, under the PR system the PPP won five seats  with 1,784 votes and APNU four with 1,601 votes.  Through the constituency system, the PPP picked up four seats and APNU five. With both parties winning nine seats, it means the party with the most votes will chair the town council.

In the 2018 Local Government Elections in Bartica, the PPP had won a total of three PR seats with 1,145 votes , APNU five with 1,521 and Alliance For Change one with 346 votes through the PR system. In that election, APNU had won seven seats through the first past the post system and the PPPC two. 

In New Amsterdam in the 2023 Local Government Elections, APNU won a total of eight seats and the PPP six seats.

Of the 5,410 valid votes cast under the PR system, APNU won four seats with 3,074 votes and PPP three seats with 2,336 votes.

Through the first past the post system, APNU secured four seats and PPP three.

Unofficial records state that in 2018, in the PR system, 4,006 persons cast their ballots from which  the PPP had won 1,095 votes, APNU 2,335 and the Alliance For Change 553. APNU had won 10 seats in New Amsterdam, down from 12 in 2016, the AFC claimed clinched one and the PPP three.

A GECOM official on Wednesday said APNU requested a recount for Mahdia.