Guyana holds general election as candidates vie for control of country's oil wealth

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Dozens of voters in Guyana stood in line by dawn on Monday to participate in what many say is the South American country’s most consequential election in decades given that whichever party wins will oversee $10 billion in annual revenue from offshore oil and gas production.

In recent years, Guyana has transformed from a country traditionally dependent on gold, sugar, rice, bauxite and timber to one reaping the windfall of nearly 900,000 barrels of oil produced daily.

The World Bank has noted that Guyana has the world's fastest growing economy with gross domestic product increases averaging around 15% annually in the past six years.

ExxonMobil, which is leading an international consortium, has applications for four more oil fields as the promise of even greater