*

Voters will elect 65 members of parliament

*

Results expected by Wednesday

*

PPP ruling party seeks to maintain control of legislature

By Kemol King

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Guyanese voters

were casting ballots on Monday to choose 65 members of

parliament and a president who will determine how riches from

the South American country's hydrocarbon boom will be spent.

The country of 800,000 people has earned some $7.5 billion

in revenue from oil sales and royalties since ExxonMobil ( XOM ) started

pumping offshore oil in late 2019, making Guyana one of the

world's fastest-growing economies.

President Irfaan Ali, in office since 2020, is seeking

reelection representing the People's Progressive Party. His

government has funneled oil revenue into building roads,

schools, and hospitals, and made studying at the state

university free.

"We ran a very positive campaign, a campaign based on a

track record, a campaign based on trust, commitment, one that

was based on unity," Ali told journalists on Monday after

casting his ballot in his home village of Leonora.

The elections commission plans to deliver the results by

Wednesday.

PPP voters who spoke to Reuters were optimistic the party can

maintain control of the legislature and the presidency, but

opposition groups have gained ground with voters by decrying

what they say is unfair distribution of oil earningsto groups

connected to the PPP. The PPP denies the allegation.

The vote is "an opportunity to ensure there's a reallocation

of the resources that come from oil to the people of Guyana,

rather than the present approach, in which most of the resources

go to family, friends and favorites," said Aubrey Norton, the

presidential candidate for the opposition A Partnership for

National Unity (APNU).

Political loyalties in Guyana have long been split largely

along ethnic lines between Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese

communities.

Three of the five parties challenging the PPP have also

pledged to renegotiate the country's contract with Exxon.

Some hope to leverage Monday's vote to deny Ali's party a

majority in parliament, which it currently controls by a single

seat, and force it to seek opposition support for its

legislation.

Adding uncertainty to the race is the new We Invest in

Nationhood (WIN) Party, led by popular businessman Azruddin

Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the U.S. last year over

allegations that he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, defrauded the

Guyanese government of tax revenue and bribed public officials.

They deny any wrongdoing.

The younger Mohamed's party has published a manifesto

calling for fairer access to housing and opportunities for

everyone, not a privileged few.

He has attracted grassroots support, particularly among

voters seeking an alternative to establishment parties, and on

Monday urged early voting, especially by young people.

"One of my expectations is for WIN to improve the justice

system, the health facilities, and human services," said WIN

supporter Carlton Hazelwood, 27. He added that welfare programs

run by the government are not reaching people who need them.

Voting at some 2,800 polling places began at 6 a.m. (noon

GMT) and will close at 6 p.m.

Guyana's 2020 election was marred by a five-month standoff over

vote counting.