By: Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party, Azruddin Mohamed, has declared that the time allotted for Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, to convene a meeting for the election of a Leader of the Opposition has expired, and his party is now prepared to pursue legal action.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mohamed said an ultimatum previously issued to the Speaker—calling for him to set a date for Opposition Members of Parliament to meet and elect their leader—has gone unanswered. As a result, WIN will move to the courts to compel action.
According to the WIN leader, the Speaker has failed or refused to carry out what the party considers a clear constitutional responsibility. WIN argues that Article 184(1) of Guyana’s Constitution places a legal obligation on the Speaker to convene a meeting of opposition MPs for the purpose of electing an Opposition Leader. The continued delay, Mohamed contends, violates both the Constitution and the democratic rights of the electorate.
Mohamed further accused the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government of deliberately prolonging the process through the Office of the Speaker, leaving Guyana without an Opposition Leader weeks after the Thirteenth Parliament first convened. He said this absence weakens parliamentary oversight and undermines democratic accountability.
WIN recalled that at the first sitting of the Thirteenth Parliament on November 3, 2025, its Members of Parliament formally submitted a letter requesting that the election of an Opposition Leader be held immediately. The party maintains that all opposition MPs were present at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and ready to participate, and that no procedural or logistical barrier prevented the Speaker from proceeding at that time.
In recent days, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the Alliance for Change (AFC), and Forward Guyana have also voiced support for the immediate convening of the meeting, warning that the continued delay amounts to a breach of constitutional duty.
With legal action now imminent, the matter is shaping up to be a major constitutional test, as the courts may soon be asked to determine whether the Speaker has failed to discharge a mandatory function under Guyana’s supreme law.
