By:Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
The Alliance For Change (AFC) is the latest political party to demand that the Speaker of the National Assembly convene the long-delayed meeting required to elect Guyana’s next Leader of the Opposition, adding to mounting national pressure for the constitutional process to move forward.
In a statement, the AFC emphasized that Article 184 of the Constitution is “unambiguous,” pointing out that it clearly requires the Speaker to summon Opposition Members of Parliament so they may elect one of their own to serve in the constitutional post.
Although the Constitution does not prescribe a specific timeframe, the party argues that the framers of the law would have expected such a meeting to occur within a reasonable period after Parliament is convened.
“That window has long passed,” the AFC said, “leaving the country in an unnecessary state of constitutional and political uncertainty.”
Widespread Concern Across Political Parties
The AFC is not alone.
APNU Leader Aubrey Norton has openly questioned the extended delay, reminding that the Opposition Leader is a mandated component of Guyana’s democratic framework.
Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement, Amanza Walton-Desir, has been even more pointed in her criticism, accusing the Speaker’s inaction of stalling a critical constitutional process and undermining democratic governance.
Meanwhile, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs has confirmed that while the Constitution specifies how the Opposition Leader must be elected, it does not specify when the Speaker must convene the meeting—an omission at the center of the current impasse.
Political Stakes Rising
With the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party holding the majority of Opposition seats, it is widely expected that the eventual Leader of the Opposition will come from that grouping.
But across the political spectrum, actors agree that the nominee’s identity is not the immediate issue.
The urgency, they say, lies in convening the meeting, fulfilling the constitutional requirement, and restoring normal parliamentary operations.
As calls intensify, pressure continues to mount on the Speaker to act and bring closure to a process many view as long overdue.
