GEORGETOWN, Guyana ? A ruling party in power for nearly two decades is defending its incumbency against a raft of opposition parties that have accused the government of rampant government and mismanagement.
There was no obvious front-runner in the race.
Nearly half a million people are eligible to cast ballots for president and 65 parliament seats in Guyana, a small country on South America's northern shoulder whose economy depends on the export of commodities such as gold, bauxite, sugar, rice, shrimp and timber.
Seeking a fifth consecutive term in office, the ruling People's Progressive Party generally draws support from descendants of migrants from the Indian subcontinent. It is pitted against an opposition coalition led by a retired army commander and a party led by a local attorney.
All are vying to dominate parliament and replace President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is leaving office because he has served the two-term maximum set by the country's constitution.
Donald Ramotar, a 61-year-old economist, is the ruling party's presidential pick. He has pledged to continue Jagdeo's policies by safeguarding vital mining and agricultural sectors and improving education in Guyana, an Idaho-sized nation of roughly 780,000 people bordering the Caribbean, Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname.
After voting, Ramotar said he was confident of another victory by the People's Progressive Party, which held 36 of 65 seats in the last parliament.
"We have been able to demonstrate that we don't discriminate in our government policies and the resources of the country have been distributed to every single region very fairly," Ramotar told reporters. "We will win bigger this time."
The Partnership For National Unity coalition, led by retired army commander David Granger, has accused the government of racial discrimination, allying with drug traffickers and turning a blind eye to corruption. He has vowed to set up a national unity government if he becomes president.
"I look forward to establishing a government which could represent all of the interests of our people," Granger said.
During the campaign, opposition candidates tried to gain mileage with long-standing allegations that Jagdeo has coddled drug traffickers. Jagdeo's government has dismissed the allegations as empty political sloganeering.
There's no evidence that drugs are being produced in Guyana, but it considered a transshipment point, especially for Colombian cocaine bound for the U.S. and Europe. The drugs are dropped by air to people on the ground in the jungle-covered interior, where there is scant police presence.
Meanwhile, the Alliance For Change party led by 50-year-old attorney Khemraj Ramjatta, is widely expected to play spoiler in various districts, siphoning votes and attention from its two bigger rivals.
"We have to change this system of indecent governance and eliminate the rising tide of corruption in the country," Ramjatta said Monday after voting.
Petal Straughn, a 47-year-old school teacher, said she supported the Partnership For National Unity because she thought the country desperately needed a change.
"I want (a government) that cares for the people, not one which cares about filling its own pockets and fleecing taxpayers," she said as her 21-year-old daughter, Coressa Henry, nodded in agreement.
Sukdeo Singh, a 61-year-old carpenter, said he was voting for continuity.
"I think basically everything is OK in the country," he said. "There is some bad but you can never get all good, never, so I stayed with the PPP."
International observers from the Organization of American States, the U.K. Commonwealth and the 15-nation Caribbean Community were monitoring the polls. The official results are expected Wednesday night.
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