Guyana's President Irfaan Ali claimed reelection Wednesday to a second term, tasked with turning the South American nation's newfound oil riches into prosperity while navigating tensions with neighbor Venezuela.

"The numbers are clear... We have a great majority and we are ready to take the country forward," the 45-year-old told AFP by telephone.

Official results of Monday's vote have not yet been published.

Ali faces the uphill challenge of reconstructing a country with the highest proven crude oil reserves per capita in the world but one of the highest poverty levels in Latin America.

According to a 2024 report by the Inter-American Development Bank, 58 percent of Guyanese lived in poverty despite an oil boom that has quadrupled the state budget to $6.7 billion since production began

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