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 ...
on 15 October 1926.
[
]
Electoral system
The elections were held under the 1891 constitution, which provided for a 16-member Court of Policy
The Court of Policy was a legislative body in Dutch and British Guiana until 1928. For most of its existence it formed the Combined Court together with the six Financial Representatives.
History
The Court of Policy was established in 1732 by the ...
, 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;][ as a result, only 11,103 people were registered to vote from a population of 317,026 (3.5%).][James G Rose (1992]
British colonial policy and the transfer of power in British Guiana, 1945-1964
King's College London
Campaign
The Popular Party, which had been formed earlier in the year, was the only party to contest the elections, and campaigned on a platform of economic development. Conservative candidates also criticised the lack of development within the territory.[
]
Results
The People's Party won twelve of the fourteen elected seats.[
]
Aftermath
Following the elections, the results in almost every seat was challenged, resulting in five results being overturned on technicalities.[Walter Rodney (1966]
Masses in Action
''New World Quarterly'' 2:3, pp30-37
References
{{Guyanese elections
Elections in Guyana
20th century in Guyanese politics
1926 in British Guiana
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 ...
Election and referendum articles with incomplete results
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 ...
October 1926