Guyana’s parliament building. Photo by Scott Stadum, CC BY-NC 2.0
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — On December 21, 2018, the 65 members of Guyana’s parliament gathered to vote on a no-confidence motion brought by the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) against the governing coalition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
With a “yes” vote by Charandass Persaud, a parliamentarian with the Alliance for Change (AFC), one of the political parties that comprise the governing coalition, the no-confidence motion passed 33 to 32, leaving the government in disarray and facing the prospect of a general election.
Constitutionally, that election must be held in 90 days — by March 2019 at the latest. Persaud, meanwhile, has since fled Guyana, claiming he’s fearful for his life. This, despite journalist Freddie Kissoon’s revelation that Persaud had confided intentions to form a new political party to contest the 2019 general elections.
