Guyana profile - Leaders

President: David Granger

Former army chief David Granger beat the incumbent Donald Ramotar by a narrow margin in the May 2015 presidential election, ending 23 years of rule by the Indian-dominated People's Progressive Party.

President Granger forged an alliance between his Afro-Guyanese Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change in order to end the country's racially-divided politics.

President Granger stood for the presidency in 2011, losing on that occasion to Mr Ramotar. He appointed Moses Nagamootoo of the Alliance for Change as prime minister, charged with the task of reviewing taxes, boost salaries and pensions, liberalise the communications sector, and target corruption as priorities.

These were all areas over which the outgoing government had faced criticism.