HGP Nightly News – President Irfaan Ali is pushing back against growing claims that his administration is deliberately slow-walking Parliament to prevent the election of a Leader of the Opposition, insisting his focus is fixed on Budget 2026 and the government’s development agenda. Speaking on the sidelines of an event last weekend, Ali was questioned about the delayed opposition-leader process and when Parliament will be fully back in motion.
He said the government’s priority right now is the budget and the agenda he has set as head of the executive, adding, “At the appropriate time… we will lay out our Parliamentary agenda and head to Parliament to get that agenda completed.”Pressed on whether that could happen within the first quarter of the year, Ali refused to lock himself into a timeline.
“We have to advance to Parliament on many issues so I won’t give you a timeframe… You will be surprised how soon before or after it can be,” he said. The President also dismissed suggestions that WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed is a factor in the government’s approach to Parliament, arguing that Mohamed “does not influence anything the government does in relation to parliament or our development agenda.” Ali said the administration is focused on delivering its manifesto commitments, which he noted voters endorsed.
He further rejected the idea that the government is blocking the opposition from choosing its leader, calling that suggestion “absolutely ridiculous.” “The Opposition can elect whoever they want as Opposition leader… That’s their business,” Ali said. “Our only business is advancing our development agenda.”
The 13th Parliament first convened on November 3, 2025, when government and opposition MPs were sworn in, but no date has since been announced for Speaker Manzoor Nadir to chair a sitting to elect the Opposition Leader. WIN holds 16 opposition seats, APNU has 12, and the Forward Guyana Movement holds one. The delay has also drawn attention from Western diplomats, alongside opposition parties and other stakeholders, who have been calling for the Opposition Leader to be elected swiftly.
