Who runs local government in Guyana?

Guyana has ten regions with elected Regional Democratic Councils, and below them 10 municipalities and 70 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs). Alongside this, more than 200 Amerindian (Indigenous) villages and communities elect their own village councils and leaders, called toshaos, under the Amerindian Act 2006. Village councils are the main form of government in much of the interior, where they own titled land collectively.

Co-operative Republic of Guyana · Unitary republic · South America

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Regions (10)	Regional Democratic Council (RDC) elected by party list at the same time as national elections; council elects a regional chairman; Regional Executive Officer is a public servant appointed by central government	Regional health, education and agriculture support; supervises NDCs.
Municipalities (10)	Councillors elected for three years (mix of constituency seats and proportional list); mayor elected by the councillors	Drainage, waste collection, markets, local roads and infrastructure; collect property rates.
Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (70)	Councillors elected for three years; chairperson elected by councillors	Waste and sanitation, local roads and dams, markets in rural coastal areas.
Amerindian village councils (200+ villages and communities)	Toshao and councillors elected by secret ballot of village residents, about every three years	Manage village land and resources, make village rules, plan development.

Three questions about local power in Guyana

Are local leaders elected?

RDC members, municipal and NDC councillors, toshaos and village councillors are elected. Mayors and NDC chairs are elected by their councils. Regional Executive Officers are appointed public servants.

Which laws set up local government?

Local government is in Chapter VII of the constitution and in local government acts; village councils are created by the Amerindian Act 2006. Community development councils are informal or semi-formal.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Councils answer to voters, and the minister responsible for local government has suspended elected councillors in the past. Village councils answer to village residents and must submit annual financial reports to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

Traditional and customary authority

Amerindian villages are governed under the Amerindian Act 2006 and overseen by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, not the Ministry of Local Government. Each village elects a toshao (village leader) and a council, which is a legal body that holds the village's title to land, can make rules on entry and resource use, and represents the village. A toshao cannot serve more than two terms in a row. The law requires an independent financial audit before each village election. All toshaos sit on the National Toshaos Council, which advises government on Indigenous matters. Some remote villages kept traditional selection: Masakenari in Region Nine chose its leader by custom for over 20 years before holding its first formal election in 2024. Religious bodies have no formal local role.

Community and neighbourhood power

Community development councils and community policing groups exist in many coastal villages and are supported by government ministries, but they are voluntary. Faith groups (Hindu, Christian and Muslim) are important in community life. Village general meetings in Amerindian communities are where rules and decisions are discussed.

Points to know

Local government elections were not held for almost 20 years before 2016; they were held again in 2018 and June 2023.
In the 2023 local elections, the governing party won many constituencies without a contest because no other candidate stood.
Toshao comes from an Indigenous word for village leader; the post is now elected, not hereditary.
Councillors in municipalities and NDCs are elected for three years, but mayors and chairs are chosen every year by councillors.

Local terms

Toshao: The elected leader of an Amerindian village.
NDC: Neighbourhood Democratic Council: the elected local council for rural coastal areas.
RDC: Regional Democratic Council: the elected council for each of the ten regions.
National Toshaos Council: A national body made up of all toshaos that advises government.

Sources

Guyana's Constitution of 1980 with Amendments through 2016, Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
The Local Government System in Guyana: Country Profile 2017–18, Commonwealth Local Government Forum, checked 14 October 2026
Joint Services begin training ahead of LGE 2023, Department of Public Information, Guyana, checked 14 October 2026
Preparations underway for Amerindian Village Council Elections in May (2024), Department of Public Information, Guyana, checked 14 October 2026
Indigenous Village elections set for May 15 (2018), Department of Public Information, Guyana, checked 14 October 2026
Masakenari elects Toshao, Village Council for the first time (2024), Department of Public Information, Guyana, checked 14 October 2026