WE THE PEOPLE OF THE CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA, the proud heirs of the indomitable spirit and unconquerable will of our forefathers who by their sacrifices, their blood and their labour made rich and fertile and bequeathed to us as our inalienable patrimony for all time this green land of Guyana,
SALUTING     the epic struggles waged by our forefathers for freedom, justice and human dignity and their relentless hostility to imperialist and colonial domination and all other forms and manifestations of oppression;
ACCLAIMING     those immortal leaders who in the vanguard of battle kept aloft in the banner of freedom by the example of their courage, their fortitude and their martyrdom, whose names and deeds being forever enshrined in our heart s we forever respect, honour and revere;
INSPIRED     by the glorious victory of 26th May, 1966, when after centuries of heroic resistance and revolutionary endeavour we liberated ourselves from colonial bondage, won political independence and became free to mold our own destiny;
CONSCIOUS     of the fact that to bring about conditions necessary for the full flowering of the creative genius of the people of Guyana formal political sovereignty must be complemented by economic independence and cultural emancipation;
HAVING ESTABLISHED     the Republic on 23rd February, 1970, to reinforce our determination to chart an independent course of development in conformity with our historical experience, our cultural heritage and our common aspirations;
PLEDGED     to defend our national sovereignty, to respect human dignity and to cherish and uphold the principles of freedom, equality and democracy and all other fundamental human rights;
DEDICATED     to the principle that the people of Guyana are entitled as of right to enjoy the highest possible standard of living and quality of life consistent with their work and the possibilities of the country's resources;
CONVINCED     that the organisation of the State and society on socialist principles is the only means of ensuring social and economic justice for all of the people of Guyana; and, therefore,
BEING MOTIVATED  and guided by the principles of socialism;
BEING OPPOSED     to all social, economic and political systems which permit the exploitation of man by man; and
ACKNOWLEDGING   our common purpose of national cohesion and our common destiny as one people and one nation,
DO SOLEMNLY RESOLVE   to establish the State on foundations of social and economic justice, and accordingly by popular consensus, after full, free and open discussion, debate and participation,
DO ADOPT   the following ––

ARTICLE  1.             
Guyana is an indivisible, secular, democratic sovereign state in the course of transition from capitalism to socialism and shall be known as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

ARTICLE  2.             
The territory of the State comprises the areas that immediately before the commencement of this Constitution were comprised in the area of Guyana together with such other areas as may be declared by Act of Parliament to form part of the territory of the State.

ARTICLE  3.             
The capital of the State is the city of Georgetown.

ARTICLE  4.             
The national flag of the State is the flag known as "The Golden Arrow Head."

ARTICLE  5.             
The coat of arms of the State is that in use at the commencement of this Constitution.

ARTICLE  6.             
The national anthem of the State is the anthem known as "Green Land of Guyana."

ARTICLE  7.             
It is the duty of every citizen of Guyana wherever he may be and of every person in Guyana to respect the national flag, the coat of arms, the national anthem and the Constitution of Guyana, and to treat them with due and proper solemnity on all occasions.

ARTICLE  8.             
The Constitution is the supreme law of Guyana and, if any other law is inconsistent with it, that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, by void.