British Guiana general election, 1964
Encyclopedia
General elections were held in British Guiana
on 7 December 1964. They were the first held under proportional representation
, and saw the People's Progressive Party
win 24 of the 53 directly-elected seats. However, the People's National Congress
(22 seats) and United Force
(7 seats) were able to form a coalition government with a working majority. Despite losing the elections, Prime Minister and PPP leader Cheddi Jagan
refused to resign, and had to be removed by Governor Richard Luyt
, with Forbes Burnham
replacing him. Voter turnout was 97.0%.
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...
on 7 December 1964. They were the first held under proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, and saw 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:...
win 24 of the 53 directly-elected seats. However, the People's National Congress
People's National Congress
The People's National Congress is a socialist political party in Guyana led by Robert Corbin. The party currently holds 22 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:...
(22 seats) and United Force
The United Force
The United Force is a conservative political party in Guyana. It currently has one seat in the National Assembly and is led by Manzoor Nadir.-History:...
(7 seats) were able to form a coalition government with a working majority. Despite losing the elections, Prime Minister and PPP 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...
refused to resign, and had to be removed by Governor Richard Luyt
Richard Luyt
Sir Richard Edmonds Luyt, DCM was the colonial Governor of British Guiana in 1964-66. He installed Forbes Burnham of the People's National Congress as premier of a coalition government with a small business-oriented conservative party in 1964; however, the People's Progressive Party came first...
, with Forbes Burnham
Forbes Burnham
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was the leader of Guyana from 1964 until his death, first as Premier from 1964 to 1966, then as the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1980 and finally as President from 1980 to 1985....
replacing him. Voter turnout was 97.0%.
Results
Party | Votes | % | Seats |
---|---|---|---|
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:... |
109,332 | 45.8 | 24 |
People's National Congress People's National Congress The People's National Congress is a socialist political party in Guyana led by Robert Corbin. The party currently holds 22 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.-History:... |
96,657 | 40.5 | 22 |
United Force The United Force The United Force is a conservative political party in Guyana. It currently has one seat in the National Assembly and is led by Manzoor Nadir.-History:... |
29,612 | 12.4 | 7 |
Justice Party Justice Party (Guyana) The Justice Party was a political party in British Guiana. It contested the 1964 general elections, but received only 0.6% of the vote and failed to win a seat. The party did not contest any further elections.... |
1,334 | 0.6 | 0 |
Guiana United Muslim Party Guiana United Muslim Party The Guiana United Muslim Party was a political party in Guyana. It first contested national elections in 1964, but received only 0.5% of the vote and failed to win a seat. In the 1968 elections it received only 0.3% of the vote and again failed to win a seat. This is due to the small population of... |
1,194 | 0.5 | 0 |
Peace, Equality and Prosperity Party Peace, Equality and Prosperity Party The Peace, Equality and Prosperity Party was a political party in Guyana. It contested the 1964 general elections, but received only 0.5% of the vote and failed to win a seat. The party did not contest any further elections.... |
224 | 0.1 | 0 |
National Labour Front National Labour Front The National Labour Front was a political party in Guyana. It contested the 1964 general elections, but received only 177 votes and failed to win a seat. The party did not contest any further elections.... |
177 | 0.1 | 0 |
Invalid/blank votes | 1,590 | – | – |
Total | 240,120 | 100 | 53 |
Source: Nohlen |