Bitter Election Campaign Opens in Guyana
Minister Bumhamthe Guyanese parliamentovember and officiallythat national elections will take place onecember. All parties now are free to give their undivided attention to the campaign, which isitter one.
Burnham has been accused ofrigged" election, the opposition is planning tohis new electoral law in the courts, and bothopposition leader Cheddi jagan and Peter d'Aguiar,erstwhile coalition partner,
haveoycott of the entire election.
Burnham's four-yearal sartnership withmall United Force (UF)ast month when D'Aguiaro support the electoralthat Burnham waso push through parliament. ng the legislation "undemocratic
androught his party into theion. When it became obviousurnham's People's National(PNC) would pass tha bill, D'Aguiar led the UF out of He was followed after an
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interval by Jagan's Peop! Progressive Party.
D'Aguiar makes no secret of his dislike for Jagan'sconnections, and would be most reluctant to join with himormal coalition. D'Aguiar's hatred for Burnham and his conviction that Burnham is trying to set himself upblack" dictator have drawn him to cooperate with Jagan in propagandizing specific anti-Burnhara charges.
The UF's attack hasBurnham's conviction that another coalition would be He is determined tolear majority, has stated that "the United Force is andublicof his party pledged,hall never again lead the PNCoalition government."
some
to stir up trouble between Jagan's East Indian followers andpredominantly Negro Burnham has recentlyumber of influential East Indians to his party and, should violence break out, he would beood position to argua that Jagan was exploiting racial tensions while the pnc was attempting to unify the races under one government.
Bumham has modi flad some of tha more controversialin the electoral law, and Jagan's party and the UP now say that they will participate in order to have parliamentounding board for their views. As political tensions riae, the idoaoycott could again become attractive, however.
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