National Democratic Party (British Guiana)

The National Democratic Party (NDP) was a political party in British Guiana (now Guyana). It was formed in 1959 by John Carter after he broke away from the People's National Congress (PNC), which was led by Forbes Burnham. Carter, a prominent lawyer and politician, sought to establish a moderate alternative to the PNC and the People's Progressive Party (PPP), led by Cheddi Jagan.

The NDP's platform focused on multiracialism and a more moderate socialist approach than the PPP. It aimed to appeal to middle-class voters and those who were wary of the perceived extremism of the other two major parties.

The party contested the 1961 general election but failed to win any seats in the Legislative Assembly. Its performance was significantly overshadowed by the dominance of the PNC and the PPP. The NDP struggled to gain significant traction due to the deep-seated ethnic divisions in British Guianese politics, which largely aligned along Afro-Guyanese support for the PNC and Indo-Guyanese support for the PPP.

Following its poor performance in the 1961 election, the National Democratic Party gradually faded from the political scene and eventually dissolved. John Carter subsequently rejoined the PNC. The NDP's brief existence reflects the challenges faced by smaller political parties in a political landscape dominated by two major parties with strong ethnic bases.