Dear Editor,
LGE 2023 results are out – the PPP won big, the PNC-led APNU took an old-fashioned thrashing. While there has been a sprinkling of requests for recounts from the PPP and the PNC-led APNU, there have not been any significant complaints about the conduct of these elections. The PPP came out of LGE 2023 as the big winner since they won 66 of the 80 local government areas (LAAs), including seven of 10 municipalities, and 906 of the 1206 local government seats. The PPP won 83% of the LAAs, 75% of all seats available and more than 70% of all votes cast. The PPP not only strengthened its hold on its traditional strongholds, but it has massively made inroads in areas where the PNC usually celebrated almost 100% votes in the past. By any measure, this is a wipeout of the opposition.
On the other hand, the PNC has wounds to lick. In 2018, the PNC controlled five of the 10 municipalities. For LGE 2023, the PNC lost its municipal strongholds of Bartica and Mahdia where local government elections have never been competitive. It nearly lost the municipality of New Amsterdam where it has held office continuously since the formation of the PNC. The PPP which had won only one of the seven constituencies in 2018, was able to win three constituencies and increased its seats from three to six in LGE 2023 and came within a few votes to win another, which would have made it a tie in New Amsterdam. In Georgetown, the PPP increased from seven to 11 and with a recount in one constituency could very well end up with 12 seats. In Linden, the PPP increased from one to two. The PNC has put up a bold face and celebrating victory in these three towns. But the PNC celebrate only because they must have anticipated losing in some of these strongholds. Their celebration is relief that they held on, “clutching at straws”.
In NDCs where the PNC usually win easily, they lost some and barely held on to others. In LGE 2023, they won in only 14 LAAs (three municipalities and 11 NDCs), compared to 24 in 2018. In addition to the municipalities of Bartica and Mahdia, the PNC lost important NDCs, such as Fyrish and Macedonia/Joppa in Region 6, Plaisance/Industry in Region 4 and Mathew’s Ridge in Region 1. In fact, the PNC controls no municipality or NDC in six of the 10 regions, with none in Regions 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9. Who could have imagined that the PPP would have meaningful votes, even if not enough to win, in Mocha, North Ruimveldt, Victoria, Golden Grove, Manchester, Lancaster, Den Amstel, across Linden, etc.? The PPP nearly walked away with Kwakwani. These results would have been political heresy just months ago. It is, in short, a wipeout, a blowout, a knockdown, a thrashing. No matter which adjective is used, the PNC is badly wounded and is in the political ICU. This is already Aubrey Norton’s legacy.
Sincerely,
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy