Guyana: Polity Style: 1966-2026

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Guyana: Polity Style: 1966-2026
26 May 1966	the Colony of British Guiana becomes an independent state under the name of Guyana on 26 May 1966, the date appointed by an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom (House of Commons on 4 May 1966, House of Lords on 12 May 1966), received Royal Assent on 12 May 1966 (Public General Acts, 1966, pp. 176-183) [1]
26 May 1966	the Constitution of Guyana, appended as a Schedule to the Guyana Independence Order 1966, comes into operation on 26 May 1966 in accordance with the Guyana Independence Order 1966, made on 16 May 1966 (Statutory Instruments, 1966, Part II, Section I, pp. 1226-1311)
26 May 1966 - 22 Feb 1970	Guyana
23 Feb 1970	Guyana becomes a Republic in accordance with a resolution passed by the National Assembly on 29 Aug 1969, effective on 23 Feb 1970, the date appointed by the resolution (Guyana Official Gazette, No. 20, 30 Aug 1969, Second Supplement) [2]
23 Feb 1970 - 6 Oct 1980	Republic of Guyana [3]
6 Oct 1980 -	Co-operative Republic of Guyana


[1]	Full title: An Act to provide for the attainment by British Guiana of fully responsible status within the Commonwealth; to make provision as to the effect of certain certificates of naturalisation; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid (may be cited as the Guyana Independence Act 1966).
[2]	Guyana became an independent state under the Constitution of 1966, which vested executive authority in the monarch of the United Kingdom. The Constitution also contained dormant provisions for the establishment of the Republic and republican institutions. These provisions were subsequently brought into operation by the National Assembly without amendment of the Constitution.
[3]	Also in official use: Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

Last update: 08 Jul 2026