Georgetown, Guyana – September 9, 2025 – The bitter battle of words that defined Guyana’s recent election season is far from over, as Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has launched a ferocious attack on the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), accusing the government of orchestrating a campaign of lies, fear, and foreign manipulation to destroy his reputation. With clarifications now coming from the Venezuelan Ambassador, Mohamed says the PPP’s “web of deception” is finally collapsing.
In a statement released this Tuesday, Mohamed said the government’s campaign was built on deliberate misinformation designed to paint him as a political pawn of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro administration. This, he argued, was an especially dangerous tactic given Guyana’s ongoing territorial dispute with Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a conflict that has placed Guyana at the center of regional geopolitics. The dispute, which dates back more than a century, has recently escalated with Venezuela’s renewed claim to the territory, making any suggestion of ties to Caracas a politically toxic accusation.
Mohamed directly pointed to remarks by Venezuelan Ambassador Carlos Amador Perez Silva, who after the elections contradicted claims that Mohamed had links to the Maduro government. “The fearmongering and lies are finally unravelling,” Mohamed declared, accusing Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd and the PPP of “shamelessly weaponizing misinformation” and even using diplomats in their smear campaign. “Imagine the depths of desperation when a government uses ambassadors as political pawns,” he added.
He argued that the timing of these clarifications was not accidental, but rather a calculated strategy to discredit him during the election season. “The timing of these clarifications reveal a calculated strategy to not only smear my name but to distract and dissuade the nation into believing that I have some perceived ties with the Maduro-led administration. Conveniently, these utterances come post-elections,” Mohamed said.
The Opposition Leader also pointed to comments made by U.S. Ambassador Nicole D. Theriot, who clarified after the elections that America would find ways to work with him in Parliament despite sanctions. To Mohamed, this proved that the PPP deliberately misled the public for political gain. “Even the U.S. Ambassador clarified that America would find ways to work with me in Parliament regardless of the sanctions. Proving here again that the PPP deliberately peddled distortion and scare tactics to mislead voters,” he argued.
Mohamed’s allegations feed into a larger narrative of distrust that has long haunted Guyanese politics. Both major parties have historically accused one another of relying on propaganda, but the stakes have grown sharper in recent years with the discovery of vast offshore oil reserves. Guyana’s new status as one of the world’s fastest-growing oil economies has heightened international interest, while the unresolved border dispute with Venezuela has become more pressing. For many Guyanese voters, the idea of an opposition leader being linked to Caracas was enough to stir fear, making the government’s campaign of accusations politically potent.
Now, Mohamed is casting himself as the victim of a smear campaign that not only targeted his personal credibility but also weakened democratic trust. “We are now forced to live under a government that clings to power through lies and propaganda. The truth is now being revealed, and no number of lies can spin or erase their record of dishonesty,” he said.
While the PPP has not formally responded to the Ambassador’s clarifications, the unfolding diplomatic statements have given Mohamed fresh ammunition to challenge the ruling party’s integrity. For the Opposition Leader, it is not just about clearing his name, it is about exposing what he describes as a political system built on “fear, manipulation, and deception.”
