Billionaire gold dealer Azruddin Mohamed—still black-listed by the U.S. Treasury—has vaulted himself into Guyana’s 2025 presidential race, releasing a five-minute video on Monday evening that framed his entry as a generational call to “a new Guyana.” Stabroek News
President Irfaan Ali had only just named 1 September 2025 as election day when Mohamed’s clip appeared on the “Team Mohamed’s” Facebook page, positioning the 40-year-old businessman as an independent challenger to the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic and the main opposition coalition. Wikipedia
In the address, Mohamed pledged to “raise my hand, put my shoulder to the task” and build a world-class nation where every citizen “is treated equally”—a pitch aimed squarely at voters weary of Guyana’s long-standing ethnic and party polarisation. News Room Guyana
That populist message collides head-on with the cloud hanging over his empire. In June 2024, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Mohamed, his father Nazar, their company Mohamed’s Enterprise, and several affiliates under the Global Magnitsky Act. OFAC alleges the family under-declared more than 10,000 kg of gold between 2019-2023, depriving Georgetown of US $50 million in duties. Jamaica Gleaner
The designation freezes any U.S.-linked assets and prohibits American entities from doing business with him—restrictions that could complicate a presidential run in a petro-boom economy heavily courted by U.S. investors. Political analysts are already debating whether a sanctioned candidate can build the cross-border partnerships Guyana needs to manage its oil windfall.
Mohamed, however, seems unfazed. He has not yet unveiled a party slate or policy platform beyond promises of integrity, unity, and “world-class” infrastructure, but insiders say he has visited almost every region in recent months, distributing aid and courting regional leaders. Stabroek News
With incumbent Ali seeking a second term and the opposition PNCR sharpening its message, Mohamed’s insurgent candidacy adds an unpredictable wildcard to a contest already weighted with the high-stakes politics of oil, mining, and rapid economic growth.
Next steps: Candidates have until mid-June to file official nominations with the Guyana Elections Commission. After that, the 96-day sprint to 1 September begins in earnest—and the question of whether a U.S.-sanctioned outsider can overturn Guyana’s entrenched party order will take centre stage.
