General elections were held in British Guiana on 27 April 1953.[1] They were the first held under universal suffrage and resulted in a victory for the People's Progressive Party (PPP), which won 18 of the 24 seats in the new House of Assembly. Its leader, Cheddi Jagan, became Prime Minister.[1]
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24 of the 28 seats in the House of Assembly 15 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 74.77% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Electoral system
Constitutional reforms as a result of the Waddington Commission had led to the creation of the House of Assembly to replace the Legislative Council. The new House had 28 members; 24 members elected in single member constituencies, a speaker appointed by the Governor and three ex officio members (the Chief Secretary, the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary).[2]
Campaign
The PPP ran candidates in 22 of the 24 constituencies, failing to contest the two interior constituencies due to a lack of money. The National Democratic Party contested 15 constituencies and the People's National Party eight.[3] A total of 85 independents,[4] including four United Guiana Party candidates, also contested the elections.[3] The United Workers and Farmers Party did run as a party, but contested some seats as independents.[3]
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's Progressive Party | 77,695 | 51.04 | 18 | |
| National Democratic Party | 20,032 | 13.16 | 2 | |
| People's National Party | 3,000 | 1.97 | 0 | |
| Independents | 51,504 | 33.83 | 4 | |
| Total | 152,231 | 100.00 | 24 | |
| Valid votes | 152,231 | 97.44 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 3,995 | 2.56 | ||
| Total votes | 156,226 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 208,939 | 74.77 | ||
| Source: GECOM | ||||
Elected members
Aftermath
After assuming power Jagan embarked on implementing a series of policies that involved radical social reform, mainly directed at the colonial oligarchy. The British colonial authorities sent in troops in response to the alleged threat of a Marxist revolution. Governor Alfred Savage suspended the constitution in October (only 133 days after it had come into force) and set up a transitional government of conservative politicians, businessmen and civil servants.[1] Writing in The Guardian in 2020, Gaiutra Bahadur said that "the overthrow of Guyana’s ruling party by colonial forces fomented a racial divide that continues to blight its politics", saying that there was a greater crackdown on the Afro-Guyanese than on the Indo-Guyanese, in a deliberate and successful attempt to divide the PPP.[5]
References
- ^ a b c Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p354 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
- ^ Historical information events and dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2006 Parliament of Guyana
- ^ a b c The election campaign in 1953 Guyana News and Information
- ^ 1953 Election Archived 2016-06-16 at the Wayback Machine GECOM
- ^ "In 1953, Britain openly removed an elected government, with tragic consequences | Gaiutra Bahadur". the Guardian. October 30, 2020.