By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News |
Foreign Diplomats Meet House Speaker Ahead of National Assembly Sitting
A meeting was held on Thursday at the Parliament Building between House Speaker Manzoor Nadir and several foreign diplomats stationed in Guyana, amid heightened political attention surrounding Monday’s scheduled sitting of the National Assembly and the impending election of a Leader of the Opposition.
United States Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot described the engagement as informal and constructive, noting that discussions lasted just over an hour and focused on parliamentary business. According to the ambassador, the talks centred on the upcoming presentation of the national budget and the planned meeting of non-government Members of Parliament to elect a Leader of the Opposition.
Theriot told reporters that the meeting was requested by a member of the diplomatic corps and that Speaker Nadir agreed to engage with the group. When questioned about whether the Speaker had raised concerns about previous diplomatic statements regarding the delayed appointment of an Opposition Leader, the ambassador declined to comment, stating that such remarks were for the Speaker to address.
The diplomatic engagement follows months of political deadlock and sustained international scrutiny over the absence of a formally elected Leader of the Opposition. Earlier this week, Speaker Nadir announced that non-government MPs will meet on January 26 to elect an Opposition Leader, the same day the Government is scheduled to present the 2026 National Budget.
During his public remarks announcing the date, the Speaker issued pointed criticism of comments previously made by both U.S. and Canadian representatives. He questioned whether the absence of an Opposition Leader in Guyana truly undermines democratic governance, and drew comparisons with political developments in other democracies, including Canada.
The opposition benches in the National Assembly currently comprise 16 Members of Parliament from We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), 12 from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and one from the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM). The government side holds 36 of the 65 seats in the House.
As Guyana moves toward resolving the prolonged impasse, Monday’s parliamentary proceedings are expected to be closely watched both locally and internationally.
