NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Sept. 1, 2025: Voters in the oil rich CARICOM, South American nation of Guyana head to the polls today in a high-stakes general and regional election overshadowed by fresh border tensions with Venezuela – a dispute that has loomed over the country for more than a century.

This aerial view shows Georgetown, on August 26, 2025. Guyana will hold presidential elections next September 1st. (Photo by Joaquin Sarmiento / AFP) (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

The disdpute flared again this weekend after election officials came under fire near the frontier. Authorities said a joint patrol of soldiers and police escorting ballot boxes along the Upper Cuyuni River came under fire from across the Venezuelan shore Sunday. No one was injured and election materials were not compromised, but the incident underscored how national security and sovereignty loom large as voters decide who will govern the oil-rich South American nation for the next five years.

In March 2024, Venezuela passed a law that designates Essequibo as a new state of Venezuela, governed from the city of Tumeremo.

The Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela said that the two countries agreed that “any controversies” between them will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.

The Joint Declaration issued following talks in Kingstown, St. Vincent in December 2023 between President Irfaan Ali and President Nicolas Maduro over the disputed Essequibo region, also indicated that the two countries agreed that “any controversies” between them will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.

The border dispute is before the International Court of  Justice (ICJ).

Nearly 758,000 people are eligible to vote in the election for 65 seats in the National Assembly and 10 regional councils. Six presidential candidates are on the ballot, but the race is widely seen as a showdown between the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), led by President Irfaan Ali, the main opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), formerly the Peoples National Congress, (PNC), led by Aubrey Norton and the newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, that has gained momentum in only 3 months.

Guyana’s President and presidential candidate for re-election Mohamed Irfaan Ali delivers a speech at a rally on August 26, 2025. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

Ali’s party is campaigning on economic growth fueled by Guyana’s massive oil discoveries, touting investments in infrastructure, housing, and social services. “Victory must be secured at the ballot box,” Ali told supporters in his final rally.

Supporters of Guyana’s presidential candidate Aubrey Norton from the APNU party take part in a rally in Georgetown, on August 30, 2025. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

Norton and APNU accuse the government of mismanaging the country’s oil wealth and promise to “rescue” Guyana from corruption and poverty. “This is a movement to take back our country,” Norton declared.

Supporters of Guyana’s presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed from the WIN party take part in a campaign rally in Georgetown on August 30, 2025. Guyana will hold presidential elections on September 1, 2025. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

The WIN party, led by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, is also vying for seats, showing off its multi-ethnic supporters as the key to winning the election against the two main parties that have dominated politics in Guyana for over 5 decades since independence in 1966. Mohamed, despite being sanctioned by the US, has pitched himself as the key to moving Guyanese to another level and out of poverty. Guyana’s poverty level is estimated at over 40 percent despite its new found oil riches.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said late Saturday it approved last-minute accreditations for party polling agents to ensure “fairness and transparency.” The other parties in the race are attorney Nigel Hughes of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement and the leader of the Assembly for Liberty & Prosperity (ALP) movement, Dr. Simona Broomes.

The polls are being monitored by international observers from CARICOM, the Organization of American States, the Commonwealth, and the Carter Center.

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken said the force has deployed nationwide to guarantee safe voting. “This is an important moment for our country,” he said. “We must show the world that Guyana is a peaceful and united nation.”