“We’re not going to stop working” – Jagdeo

…says focus shifts to development bank, zero-interest loans, housing in new term

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has assured Guyanese that the re-elected Government will waste no time in delivering on its promises, stressing that “there is no rest” after President Irfaan Ali’s swearing-in.
On Monday, Guyanese went to the polls for the 2025 General and Regional Elections, and on Saturday night, the official results declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) showed that the PPP won the 2025 General and Regional Elections by more than 242,000 votes, giving them a significant majority in the National Assembly with 36 seats.
WIN gained over 109,000 votes for 16 seats in the Parliament; APNU earned more than 77,000 votes and 12 seats; and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) won one seat, with more than 2000 votes.

Immediate priorities
With the president slated to be sworn in today, Jagdeo outlined the PPP’s immediate priorities, including the establishment of a US$200 million Development Bank to provide zero-interest loans to small businesses, the acceleration of housing initiatives, and critical infrastructure projects such as the Berbice River Bridge expansion and community concrete drainage systems.
“We promised a development bank. So, we have to start from scratch now to put together this development bank. We have to put the money in the bank. We’d said about US$200 million. We’d have to raise the money and put it in the bank. We then have to establish the procedures to access the zero interest rate loans to small businesses. So that requires work. You have to start from tomorrow to start getting that work done.”
“We’re the biggest political party in the country too. All the people of Guyana can expect the continuation of us working in their benefit for their children, for them and for their families. They can expect that from us. The hard work to bring our country together, to make sure that more people have jobs, better-paying jobs. They have help with their children. All of our promises still hold true with housing, getting them better housing, a lot of those things, and lower taxation that we mentioned on the campaign trail. We intend to fulfil our promises for all the people of Guyana,” Jagdeo said.
The PPP’s manifesto also includes completing the Berbice Bridge project, rolling out 96,000 street lights before early next year, and installing 4000 security cameras nationwide over the next three years to enhance public safety.

Guyanese have entrusted the PPP/C with a fresh mandate
Jagdeo acknowledged that some of these projects may temporarily disrupt communities – such as when bridges are rebuilt to accommodate new concrete drains – but insisted they are essential for long-term development.
With this in mind, he emphasised that Guyanese have entrusted the PPP with a fresh mandate, and the Government’s responsibility is to deliver without delay.
“We promised to start looking at concrete drains in people’s communities. We have to start thinking about how we get this done. You’re going to have a lot of disruption, maybe because when you’re working in the communities, if you have to break a person’s bridge to now go, you have to fix it back… A lot of those small things may sound small, but you have to; that’s what Governments do – get to work. And we’ve been at it a lot. There’s no time to rest. A lot of people have been trying to see us before the elections. I have to see them, like a long list, next week. That kind of thing. We’re not going to stop working,” he added.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) launched its 2025 elections manifesto back in August with pledges of creating a modern and international model for development in its plan for the next five years of Guyana.
Themed “One Country, One People, One Future Forward Together for a Better Guyana”, the manifesto, according to the party, was crafted with careful attention to potential risks such as falling oil prices, Dutch Disease, climate change, and global shocks.
Notable promises include the expansion of Guyana’s housing programme to 40,000 new homes in the next five years, the development of an aviation school, a deep-water port, and a rail link, 100 new schools, and an anti-corruption unit, among others.