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.

№	Monarch (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Reign		Royal House	Prime Minister
			Reign start	Reign end
1	Queen Elizabeth II (1926–)		26 May 1966	23 February 1970	Windsor	Burnham

Governor-General

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 (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure		Monarch	Prime Minister
			Took office	Left office
1	Sir Richard Luyt (1915–1994)		26 May 1966	31 October 1966	Elizabeth II	Burnham
–	Sir Kenneth Sievewright Stoby (1903–1985)		1 November 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
–	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 served as Acting President. In 1980, the powers of the President were increased, with the establishment of the executive presidency.

Status

  Denotes Prime Minister acting as President

№	President (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Tenure		Elected	Political affiliation (at time of appointment)		Prime Minister(s)
			Took office	Left office
Ceremonial President
–	Sir Edward Luckhoo (1912–1998)		23 February 1970	17 March 1970	–		[1]	Burnham
1	Arthur Chung (1918–2008)		17 March 1970	6 October 1980	–		Independent	Burnham
Executive President
2	Forbes Burnham (1923–1985)		6 October 1980	6 August 1985 (died in office.)	–		People's National Congress	Reid Hoyte
3	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	J. Jagan
6	Janet Jagan (1920–2009)		19 December 1997	11 August 1999 (resigned.)	–		People's Progressive Party	Hinds Jagdeo
7	Bharrat Jagdeo (1964–)		11 August 1999	3 December 2011	–		People's Progressive Party	Hinds
8	Donald Ramotar (1950–)		3 December 2011	16 May 2015	–		People's Progressive Party	Hinds
9	David Granger (1945–)		16 May 2015		–		People's National Congress (APNU)	Nagamootoo

Standards

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  Governor-General's Standard

• 

  Presidental Standard

• 

  Presidential Standard of Forbes Burnham

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  Presidential Standard of Desmond Hoyte

• 

  Presidential Standard of Cheddi Jagan

Living former heads of state

There are four living former Guyana Heads of State:

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

External links

1. Was Chief Justice of Guyana

• World Statesmen – Guyana
• Rulers.org – Guyana