The openly racial campaigning and bringing up the past is scaring some Indians, but turning off the few Afros who vote PPP. Also turning off some of the relatively larger mixed population who vote for PPP. The election has teeth. For the first time since 1992, I can't say PPP will win an election. None of this is helpful when the Indo population is between 35 to 39%.
Problem is that the Indian vote is between 45 and 49%, and so the PPP doesn't have to buy too many non Indian votes to win. The coalition has to turn out more Indians votes to win. So unless Indians do the right thing and realize that, as their population dwindles, it isn't in their interest to endorse one race rule, then the PPP wins.
The PPP had done and will do everything legally possible(not anything) to win every election.
I have a very very close up view of the tactics being employed in this campaign (especially by the PPP) and I can assure you that this election is being bought like a medieval papal conclave.
Every single dirty trick in the book is being used by the PPP. Every possible political conspiracy is afoot. This election is no real election. It is a mad scramble to hold onto power behind the scenes. The only people who seem surprised by all this (or oblivious to it) are the AFC madmen.
What astonishes (and others) is that it's actually working. Everyone is bribeable. There isn't an honest man (or woman) left in Guyana.
One active election campaign colleague of mine said to me "I didn't think the Blacks were so bribeable. Dem bais (at Freedom House) was right."