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Guyana Local Government
The 1980 constitution divides Guyana into ten regions, each
having a Regional Democratic Council and a regional chairman.
Regional councillors serve five-year terms concurrent with the term
of the National Assembly, and the councillors of every region elect
from among themselves one member to sit on the National Assembly
and two members to sit on the National Congress of Local Democratic
Organs. The executive president may suspend or dissolve any
Regional Democratic Council at will. The system of local
governments was designed to decentralize the government and place
greater political power in the hands of the people. Resistance by
the president to sharing power and the regional governments' fear
of dismissal without recourse have, in effect, severely limited the
capability of regional government to enact policy.
Six towns in Guyana are incorporated: Georgetown, Corriverton,
Linden, New Amsterdam, Bartica, and Anna Regina, northwest of the
mouth of the Essequibo River. Each town has a mayor and town
council, which are responsible for maintenance of the municipality.
However, city officials lack a political mandate or any real power
beyond the exercise of municipal duties and are usually political
appointees of the PNC.
Data as of January 1992
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