The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) have secured an equal number of seats in the Bartica municipality in what represents a major advance for the ruling party.
Bartica in Cuyuni/Mazaruni has for years been a traditional voting ground of the People’s National Congress/ Reform – the largest party in the APNU coalition.
Official results yesterday from the Guyana Elections Commission showed that the PPP/C attracted 183 more votes than APNU.
The PPP/C secured 1784 votes while the APNU secured 1601 votes. The ruling party now holds 9 of the 18 seats on the council. The proportional representation votes have given the PPP/C five seats while APNU obtained four. However, in the First-Past-the-Post system, APNU managed to secure wins in five of the nine constituencies while the PPP secured four wins.
In 2018, the PPP secured three seats from the proportional representation with 1145 votes while APNU had 14 seats with 1521 votes. The AFC which had contested separately had secured a single seat from the proportional representation portion of votes. The AFC did not contest this year.
The ruling PPP/C has heightened its presence in Bartica in recent years in an efforts led by senior member, Gail Teixeira. The party has also courted the mining community which has a strong presence in the town.
In April this year, the Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall – who had been backed by APNU – announced that he would not be contesting the June 12 local government elections. He was elected in 2016 as Bartica’s first ever mayor.
