General elections were held in British Guiana

British Guiana

British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...

 in April 1953. They were the first held under universal suffrage

Universal suffrage

Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...

 and resulted in a victory for the People's Progressive Party

People's Progressive Party (Guyana)

The People's Progressive Party is a political party in Guyana led by Bharrat Jagdeo. The party has been in power since the 1992 elections and currently holds 36 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...

. Its leader, Cheddi Jagan

Cheddi Jagan

Cheddi Berret Jagan was a Guyanese politician who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964, prior to independence. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to 1997.- Biography :The son of ethnic Indian sugar plantation workers, Jagan...

, became Prime Minister.

However, after assuming power Jagan embarked on implementing a series of policies that involved radical social reform, maingly directed at the colonnial oligarchy. The British colonial authorities sent in troops in response to the alleged threat of a Marxist

Marxism

Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...

 revolution. Governor Alfred Savage

Alfred Savage

Sir Alfred William Lungley Savage was the colonial Governor of British Guiana in 1953–55.On 9 October 1953 he dismissed the democratically elected government of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, established an interim government and called in British troops, citing concerns about Communist influence...

suspended the constitution in October (only 133 days after it had come into force) and set up a transitutional government of conservative politicians, businessmen and civil servants.