General elections were held in
British Guiana
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...
in 1892.
Electoral system
The elections were held under the 1891 constitution, which provided for a 16-member
Court of Policy, half of which was elected. The Court included the
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, seven government officials (the Attorney General, the Government Secretary, the Immigration Agent General and the Receiver General, together with three other appointees). The eight elected members were elected from seven constituencies;
[Historical information events and dates on the Parliament of Guyana from 1718 to 2006]
Parliament of Guyana Demerara
Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...
East, Demerara West,
Essequebo North Western, Essequebo South Eastern,
Berbice
Berbice () is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 and 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, City of
Georgetown (2 members) and
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
.
[George D Bayley (1909) ''Handbook of British Guiana, 1909: Comprising General and Statistical Information Concerning the Colony'', The Argosy, p158]
In addition, six "Financial Representatives" were also elected in six single member constituencies; Demerara, Essequebo North Western, Essequebo South Eastern, Berbice, Georgetown and New Amsterdam.
[ Together with the Court of Policy, the two groups formed the Combined Court.][
The franchise was restricted on the basis of a minimum income level, and women could not vote.][
]
Campaign
Partick Dargan, a coloured lawyer, ran a vibrant campaign, calling for free and liberal universal education and for civil service entrance to be based on competitive exams.[ Two black lawyers, J A Murdock and W E Lewis also contested the elections.][ Only three seats were contested.
]
Results
No black candidates won a seat, whilst only two coloureds were elected; Dargan, Murdock and Lewis all failed to win seats.[Political changes (1891-1917)]
Guyana.org The 14 elected members included seven planters, five merchants and two barristers.Constitutional Developments in British Guiana and Jamaica between 1890 and 1945 (Part 2)
Stabroek News, 11 March 2010
References
{{Guyanese elections
Elections in Guyana
British Guiana
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...
1892 in British Guiana
Election and referendum articles with incomplete results