Guyana GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
Executive
President Hugh Desmond Hoyte with President George Bush,
Washington, 1989
Courtesy The White House (Michael Sargent)
The office of executive president is by far the most powerful
position in Guyana. The executive president is head of state and
commander in chief of the armed forces. He or she has the power to
veto any bill passed in the National Assembly and can dissolve the
assembly if a veto is overridden.
Elected to a term not to exceed five years concurrent with the
term of the incumbent National Assembly, the executive president is
the nominee of the party with the largest number of votes in the
assembly. There is no limit on the number of times the executive
president may be reelected. Grounds for removal from office include
inability to function for medical reasons, violations of the
constitution as determined by a two-thirds vote of the National
Assembly, and findings of gross misconduct by vote of threequarters of the National Assembly. If a motion to remove the
executive president from office passes the National Assembly, he or
she has three days to vacate the office or dissolve the
legislature. The executive president may postpone national
elections in one-year increments for up to five years.
The executive president appoints several vice presidents, a
prime minister, and various other ministers. This group is known
collectively as the cabinet. Although the prime minister and other
vice presidents must be selected from the elected members of the
National Assembly, other cabinet ministers need not hold an
elective post. The number of vice presidents and ministers varies.
In 1990 there were two vice presidents and eight ministers. The
executive president may dismiss all cabinet members at will.
Data as of January 1992
|