The Alliance for Change (AFC) has joined growing calls for Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, to convene the necessary meeting for the election of the Leader of the Opposition. In a statement issued on Thursday, the AFC emphasized the importance of adhering to the Constitution of Guyana, urging the Speaker to act according to the law.
“The provisions of our Constitution are regarded as sacrosanct and are not to be trifled with, ignored, or whimsically reinterpreted,” the party stated. They expressed concern that, after nearly sixty years of independence and constitutional governance, the straightforward task of calling a meeting of elected Members of Parliament in the opposition is being mishandled.
The AFC referenced Article 184 of the Constitution, which mandates the Speaker to convene a meeting of Opposition Members of Parliament to elect their Leader. “The role of the Speaker is, at best, perfunctory. He has only to convene the meeting and not get involved or embroiled any further,” the AFC noted. While the Constitution does not specify a timeline for this meeting, the party argued that it should have occurred within a reasonable timeframe following the convening of Parliament after the general and regional elections.
Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, acknowledged that while the Constitution outlines the procedure for electing an Opposition Leader, it does not dictate when the meeting must take place, leaving the decision to the Speaker’s discretion.
Currently, three opposition parties hold seats in the National Assembly: We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) with 16 seats, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) with 12 seats, and Forward Movement Guyana (FGM) with one seat. Azruddin Mohamed of WIN is expected to be the presumed Leader of the Opposition, but the AFC insists that convening the meeting is crucial for allowing MPs to “get on with their business” and restore democratic normalcy.
The 13th Parliament convened in early November, during which government and opposition MPs took their oaths. However, since then, no date has been announced for the Speaker to preside over the meeting to elect the Opposition Leader. President Irfaan Ali recently stated that the Speaker is currently out of the country, delaying the election further. This remark came amid threats of legal action from WIN over the ongoing delay in the election process.
