Chamber:
	National Assembly
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	5 October 1992
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament following several extensions of the members’ term of office. General elections had previously been held in December 1985, and were due five years later.
Background and outcome of elections:
	General elections had last taken place in December 1985, and were normally due five years later. However, on several occasions, polling was postponed and the National Assembly’s term extended due to complications in the compilation of a new electoral register. A new list was finally approved by the Elections Commission in August 1992. On 29 August, Parliament was dissolved and the polling date set. The parliamentary elections were held simultaneously with those for President of the Republic and local organs. On these several levels, the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), in power since 1964 and led by incumbent President Desmond Hoyte, was mainly opposed by the left-wing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its veteran leader Cheddi Jagan. As in the past, the socialist PNC was supported by citizens of African origin and the PPP by those of Asian (especially Indian) stock. Dr. Jagan, Prime Minister before independence was achieved in 1966, had abandoned his formerly Marxist theories and, in the economic sector, favoured some private enterprise, particularly in the country’s biggest mineral and energy industries; at the same time, his policies emphasized workers’ rights and the national interest. The PNC stood by its free-market reforms and privatisation programme in order to attract foreign investment, and its strategists stressed Mr. Hoyte’s leadership qualities. Voting procedures were monitored by foreign observers, including a large Commonwealth team and one headed by former US President Jimmy Carter. Following a somewhat violent campaign, polling day itself was disrupted by incidents such as looting. The observers nevertheless characterized the process as “free and fair”, for the first time since independence. Final results gave the PPP the narrowest of victories, as it won 32 of the 65 seats to 31 for the PNC. Mr. Jagan, as the nominated candidate of the party receiving the most votes under the proportional representation system, was sworn in as President on 9 October and, the following day, he appointed Mr. Sam Hinds, an Afro-Guyanese industrialist who was not a member of the PPP, as Prime Minister. The formation of the Cabinet was completed on 15 October. The new Government stated that its priorities included addressing the problem of the country’s significant external debt, reducing the cost of living and improving social services.

STATISTICS

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	National	Regional
People’s Progressive Party (PPP)	32	28	4
People’s National Congress (PNC)	31	23	8
Working People’s Alliance (WPA)	1	1	0
The United Force (TUF)	1	1	0

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	52
Women:	13