Mr. Mohamed criticized the Speaker for failing to set a date for the election, declaring

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Supporters of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party staged a protest outside Parliament on Friday, calling for Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, to arrange a meeting for the election of the Leader of the Opposition. The Speaker has not convened such a meeting since the National Assembly was called together a month ago and is reportedly on overseas duty.

President Irfaan Ali expressed optimism on Thursday that the Speaker would convene the meeting at an “appropriate time.” He stated, “There are three branches of Government – Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary – the Legislature within the rules will constitute the meeting at the relevant time to have the Leader of the Opposition elected.”

As the main opposition party in the National Assembly, holding 16 seats, WIN is expected to see its Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, possibly elected as the Opposition Leader.

Mr. Mohamed joined the protest shortly after attending his extradition hearing at the nearby Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. He, along with his father, Nazar Mohamed, faces an extradition request from the United States concerning allegations of fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering related to gold exports and luxury purchases.

Addressing his supporters outside Parliament, Mr. Mohamed criticized the Speaker for failing to set a date for the election, declaring, “We are calling on the Speaker to stop being a slave for the PPP and do the honourable thing. The whole country is in limbo.”

Mohamed suggested that the government is intimidated by his leadership and is colluding with the Speaker to delay his election, pointing out that the Speaker was a candidate for the governing PPP Civic in the September elections.

“They are scared that is why they don’t want me to be the substantive Leader of the Opposition, because they know I unite all races,” he said. “I will continue to hold them accountable every minute of the day, and this is the problem for them.”

While awaiting the Speaker’s action, MP Mohamed pledged to continue engaging with citizens on pressing issues and making adequate representations.

The 13th Parliament was convened in early November, with all Members of Parliament sworn in. Despite a request from WIN to hold a meeting for the Opposition Leader’s election, the Speaker has not responded. The WIN party has since issued a pre-action letter to the Speaker, warning of potential legal action if the meeting is not convened within two weeks, emphasizing that the Leader of the Opposition is a Constitutional position.

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