List of heads of state of Guyana

This is a list of the heads of state of Guyana from the independence of Guyana in 1966 to the present day.

From 1966 to 1970 the head of state under the Guyana Independence Act 1966 was the Queen of Guyana, Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen was represented in Guyana by a Governor-General. Guyana became a republic under the Constitution of 1970 and the monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial President, by that time. Currently, the President of Guyana is both head of state and head of government and is elected by the National Assembly.

Monarch (1966–1970)

The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.

Queen			Reign			Royal House	Prime Minister
№	Portrait	Name	Start	End	Duration
1		Elizabeth II (1926–)	26 May 1966	23 February 1970		House of Windsor	Burnham

Governors-General

File:Flag of Governor-General of Guyana.svg

Standard of the Governor-General of Guyana

The Governor-General was the representative of the monarch in Guyana and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Guyana without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.

Status

  Denotes Chief Justice acting as Officer Administering the Government

Governor-General			Term of Office			Monarch	Prime Minister
№	Portrait	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Duration
1		Sir Richard Luyt (1915–1994)	26 May 1966	16 December 1966		Elizabeth II	Burnham
2		Sir David Rose (1923–1969)	16 December 1966	10 November 1969 (died in office.)		Elizabeth II	Burnham
3		Sir Edward Luckhoo (1912–1998)	10 November 1969	23 February 1970		Elizabeth II	Burnham

President of Guyana

Under the 1970 Constitution of the Republic of Guyana, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The President was elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the Prime Minister (who is also ex officio the country's First Vice President) served as Acting President. In 1980, the powers of the President were increased, taking the President of France as an example.

Status

  Denotes Acting President

President			Term of office			Political party (at time of election)	Prime Minister(s)
№	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Duration
1	60px	Arthur Chung (1918–2008)	17 March 1970	6 October 1980		Independent	Burnham
2	60px	Forbes Burnham (1923–1985)	6 October 1980	6 August 1985 (died in office.)		People's National Congress	Reid Hoyte
3	60px	Desmond Hoyte (1929–2002)	6 August 1985	9 October 1992		People's National Congress	Green
4		Cheddi Jagan (1918–1997)	9 October 1992	6 March 1997 (died in office.)		People's Progressive Party	Hinds
5		Sam Hinds (1943–)	6 March 1997	19 December 1997		People's Progressive Party	Janet Jagan
6		Janet Jagan (1920–2009)	19 December 1997	11 August 1999 (resigned.)	1 year, 235 days	People's Progressive Party	Hinds Jagdeo
7		Bharrat Jagdeo (1964–)	11 August 1999	3 December 2011		People's Progressive Party	Hinds
8	60px	Donald Ramotar (1950–)	3 December 2011	16 May 2015		People's Progressive Party	Hinds
9	60px	David Granger (1945–)	16 May 2015	Incumbent	(as of 20 March 2025)	A Partnership for National Unity – Alliance for Change	Nagamootoo

Living former heads of state

Name	Term/Reign	Office	Date of birth
Elizabeth II	1966–1970	Queen of Guyana	(1926-04-21) April 21, 1926
Sam Hinds	1997	President of Guyana	(1943-12-27) December 27, 1943
Bharrat Jagdeo	1999–2011	President of Guyana	(1964-01-23) January 23, 1964
Donald Ramotar	2011–2015	President of Guyana	(1950-10-22) October 22, 1950

External links

• World Statesmen – Guyana
• Rulers.org – Guyana