People's Progressive Party (Guyana)
| People's Progressive Party | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leader | Donald Ramotar |
| Founded | 1 January 1950 |
| Ideology | Left-wing nationalism Social liberalism Socialism |
| Seats |
32 / 65
|
| Website | |
| www.ppp-civic.org | |
| Politics of Guyana Political parties Elections |
|
The People's Progressive Party is a political party in Guyana led by Donald Ramotar. The party has been in power since the 1992 elections and currently holds 32 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly. In Guyana's ethnically-divided political landscape, the PPP is supported primarily by Indo-Guyanese people.[1]
[edit] History
The PPP was founded on 1 January 1950, and was the first mass party in the country. It was initially a multi-ethnic party supported by workers and intellectuals.[2] The party held its First Congress on 1 April 1951. Its Third Congress, at which Burnham unsuccessfully sought to become party leader, was held in March 1953.[3] It went on to win the 1953 elections and Cheddi Jagan became Prime Minister.[2] However, Jagan's radical social reforms led to the British authorities sending in troops, claiming there was the threat of a Marxist revolution.[2] After the PPP won the 1957 elections, Burnham's moderate faction left the party to establish the Afro-Guyanese dominated People's National Congress, establishing an ethnic divide between the two parties, with the PPP left representing Indo-Guyanese. The PPP won the 1961 elections by a 1.6% margin, but received almost double the number of seats, leading to serious inter-racial violence.[4]
The party lost power in the 1964 elections. Despite winning the most seats, the PNC was able to form a coalition government with The United Force. Following an outright PNC victory in the 1968 elections, the PPP remained in opposition during a series of fraudulent elections in the 1970s and 1980s. It finally returned to power in the 1992 elections. It retained power in elections in 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011.
[edit] References
- ^ "Guyana voters head to polls to choose new government". BBC News. 29 November 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15905484. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ a b c Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p354 ISBN 9780199283576
- ^ History of the PPP PPP
- ^ Nohlen, p355
