This is a list of the heads of state of Guyana, from the independence of

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

in 1966 to the present day. From 1966 to 1970 the head of state under the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

of 1966 was the

queen of Guyana Elizabeth II was Queen of Guyana from 1966 to 1970, when Guyana was independent sovereign state with a constitutional monarchy. She was also the sovereign of the other Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom. Her constitutional roles ...

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, who was also the

queen of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...

and the other

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

s. The monarch was represented in Guyana by a governor-general. Guyana became a republic within the Commonwealth under the Constitution of 1970 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, by that time.

Monarch (1966–1970)

The succession to the throne was the same as the

succession to the British throne Succession to the British throne is determined by descent, gender, legitimacy and religion. Under common law, the Crown is inherited by a sovereign's children or by a childless sovereign's nearest collateral line. The Bill of Rights 1689 an ...

Governor-general

The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Guyana and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The governor-general was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. Since Guyana was granted independence by the

Guyana Independence Act 1966 Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown Guyana, Georgetown. Guyana ...

, rather than being first established as a semi-autonomous

dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

and later promoted to independence as defined by the

Statute of Westminster 1931 The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets the basis for the relationship between the Commonwealth realms and the Crown. Passed on 11 December 1931, the statute increased the sovereignty of the ...

, the governor-general was to be always appointed solely on the advice of the

Cabinet of Guyana The Cabinet of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana is a principal component of the executive branch of the government of Guyana. Established by Article 106 of the Constitution of Guyana, the Cabinet consists of the President of Guyana, the Prime ...

without the involvement of the British government, with the sole exception of Richard Luyt, the former colonial governor, who served as governor-general temporarily until he was replaced by David Rose. In the event of a vacancy the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

(the head of the judicial branch, serving directly above the

Chief Justice of Guyana The Chief Justice of Guyana is the senior judge of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana and is appointed by the President of Guyana. The High Court consists of the Chief Justice as President of the Court supported by several Puisne Judges ...

) would have served as the

officer administering the government An administrator (administrator of the government or officer administering the government) in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a governor or a governor-general. ...

. Following is a list of people who have served as Governor-General of Guyana. Symbols : Died in office.

President of Guyana

Under the

of 1970, the first constitution of the Republic of Guyana, the president replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The president was elected by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

for a six-year term. In the event of a vacancy the

(the head of the judicial branch, serving directly above the

) served as

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

president. In 1980, the powers of the president were increased, with the establishment of the executive presidency. Currently, the president is both head of state and head of government and, pursuant to article 91 of the Constitution, is directly elected on the basis of the votes cast in the general election. On Nomination Day, each list of contesting parties designate a member of their list as that party's presidential candidate. The presidential candidate whose party's list of candidates receives the most votes is elected president. In the event of a vacancy, the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

becomes president. ;Status

Timeline

Standards

File:Flag of the Governor-General of Guyana (1966–1970).svg, Flag of the Governor-General (1966–1970) File:Presidential Standard of Guyana 1970-1980.svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (1970–1980; under President

Arthur Chung Arthur Raymond Chung (10 January 1918 – 23 June 2008) was the 1st President of Guyana from 1970 to 1980.

) File:Presidential Standard of Guyana (1980-1985) under President LFS Burnham.svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (1980–1985; under President

Forbes Burnham Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham (20 February 1923 – 6 August 1985) was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1980 and then as its f ...

) File:Presidential Standard of Guyana (1985-1992) under President H. Desmond Hoyte.svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (1985–1992; under President

Desmond Hoyte Hugh Desmond Hoyte (9 March 1929 – 22 December 2002) was a Guyanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Guyana from 1984 to 1985 and President of Guyana from 1985 until 1992. Personal Life and Education Hoyte was born on 9 March 1 ...

) File:Presidential Standard of Guyana (1992-1997) under President Cheddi B. Jagan.svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (1992–1997; under President

Cheddi Jagan Cheddi Berret Jagan (22 March 1918 – 6 March 1997) was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 199 ...

) File:Presidential Standard of Guyana (1997-1999) under President Janet Jagan.svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (1997–1999; under President

Janet Jagan Janet Rosenberg Jagan (October 20, 1920 – March 28, 2009) was a U.S.-born Guyanese politician who served as the President of Guyana, serving from December 19, 1997, to August 11, 1999. She was the first female President of Guyana. She previou ...

) File:Presidential Standard of Guyana (President David Granger).svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (2015–2020; under President

David A. Granger David Arthur Granger (born 15 July 1945) is a retired military officer who served as the 9th President of Guyana from May 2015 to August 2020. He served for a time as Commander of the Guyana Defence Force and subsequently as National Security A ...

) File:Flag of Guyana (fringed).svg, Presidential Standard of Guyana (1999–2015 and 2020–present)

Notes

External links

World Statesmen – Guyana

{{South America topic, state=uncollapsed, prefix=List of presidents of, countries_only=yes Government of Guyana

Heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...