HGP Nightly News – Guyana’s widening parliamentary standoff is now drawing even sharper rhetoric from the opposition benches, with WIN General Secretary and Member of Parliament Odessa Primus accusing the PPP/C administration of dragging its feet on a constitutionally significant step while the country heads toward major legislative business, including the 2026 Budget.
In a strongly worded statement, Primus said Members of Parliament swore an oath to serve the nation, but argued that the government has abandoned that duty by governing without meaningful engagement and by allowing Guyana to remain without a Leader of the Opposition for almost three months after the first sitting of the 13th Parliament.
She claimed the delay has persisted despite repeated calls from opposition parties for Speaker Manzoor Nadir to convene the meeting required for non-government MPs to elect an Opposition Leader. Primus also pointed to public statements from the ABCEU diplomatic group, saying their calls added weight to demands for Parliament to function fully, but she argued that the government has still failed to act.
In her view, the absence of an Opposition Leader has allowed major decisions to continue without the level of consultation and scrutiny she believes the system is supposed to guarantee. Her statement comes as the country moves toward the presentation of the 2026 National Budget, with the government indicating Parliament will be convened for that process.
Primus took issue with remarks by Minister Kwame McCoy suggesting that a Leader of the Opposition is not required for the Budget to be presented and passed. While she acknowledged that debate exists around what is legally necessary for the budget process, Primus said her core argument is broader: the office of Opposition Leader must be filled as part of Guyana’s constitutional and democratic architecture.
Primus rejected suggestions that the issue lies solely with the opposition, contending that the Speaker’s failure to convene the meeting cannot be separated from the wider political machinery that controls parliamentary scheduling.
She argued that prolonged inaction is eroding democratic norms and should not be treated as business as usual. Primus urged citizens to press for accountability, insisting that the country’s democratic functioning is being placed under strain by continued delay and what she described as a refusal to respect the public’s mandate.
