Guyana
Guyana is a parliamentary democracy with a robust civil society. However, elections held in 2020 were marred by attempted fraud. The harassment and intimidation of journalists, often by the government, has affected press freedom in recent years. Crime, police violence and corruption, and discrimination against Indigenous and LGBT+ people remain significant problems. The exploitation of offshore oil reserves has made anticorruption reforms urgent.
Research & Recommendations
Guyana
| PR Political Rights | 29 40 |
| CL Civil Liberties | 45 60 |
Democratic resilience will increasingly depend on stronger coordination among countries that share a commitment to freedom, the rule of law, and accountable governance.
International support for democratic institutions, civil society, and independent media has been associated with modest but meaningful improvements in democratic governance, and it is far less costly than the military outlays necessitated by rising authoritarian aggression.
Young people are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy—not because they reject its principles, but because they see institutions failing to deliver on them. Programmatic work should create clear pathways for meaningful political participation, from voting and policy engagement to community organizing and public leadership, so that young people can translate their expectations into agency.