Guyana Votes on Oil Future as Venezuela Border Tensions Flare

Voters wait in line to cast ballots at a polling location during the general election in Leonora, Guyana, on Sept. 1.Photographer: Yancey Haywood/Bloomberg

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September 1, 2025 at 4:26 PM UTC

Voters in Guyana headed to the polls to decide whether to reelect President Irfaan Ali or back rivals pledging to squeeze more wealth from Exxon Mobil Corp.’s offshore oil fields, even as troops came under fire from across the Venezuelan border.

Lines formed early Monday in Georgetown, the capital, as more than 750,000 citizens were called to vote for a president, 65 lawmakers and 10 regional councils. Polls opened at 6 a.m. under bright sunshine, with orderly scenes reported at many of the more than 2,000 polling stations.