The election of Guyana’s next Leader of the Opposition is set for Monday, January 26, following an announcement by Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir during a live televised address on the National Communications Network (NCN) Tuesday night.
Nadir said he has instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to convene a meeting of all non-government Members of Parliament at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, ahead of the presentation of the National Budget and other legislative business. The decision clears the way for the formal establishment of opposition leadership in the 13th Parliament, which has remained without a sitting since it was convened on November 3, 2025.
At that inaugural sitting, opposition MPs were sworn in, but Parliament did not reconvene thereafter. Nadir subsequently travelled overseas on official duties and only returned to Guyana a few days ago, fueling mounting criticism and political tension over the delay in naming an Opposition Leader.
Earlier on Tuesday, presumptive Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, leader of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), along with other opposition parliamentarians, visited the Parliament Office seeking an audience with the Speaker. The meeting did not materialise, and by Tuesday night, WIN supporters staged a protest outside Nadir’s residence.
WIN holds 16 of the 29 non-government seats in the National Assembly, giving the party a clear majority among opposition MPs and positioning Mohamed as the frontrunner for the post.
In his nationally televised address, Nadir defended his management of Parliament and condemned what he described as “violent, vicious and unprecedented” attacks against him by Mohamed and others. He said the harassment included protests outside his home, threats against his family, and sustained personal abuse.
“I wish I had been heard before I was maligned by Azruddin Mohamed, an international fugitive offender, and his supporters,” Nadir said, adding that in more than 45 years of public life—33 of them as an elected official—he had never experienced such attacks.
The Speaker rejected claims that Parliament has been deliberately inactive, describing those assertions as “false and absurd.” He said the Assembly has remained administratively functional, with more than 90 questions and five motions received, processed, and communicated to opposition members through the Clerk’s office.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall also weighed in Tuesday night, warning that the elevation of a sanctioned and indicted individual to the role of Opposition Leader would amount to a “grave indictment” of Guyana.
“It is an indictment on our country, an indictment on the English-speaking Caribbean, for a US-sanctioned person, a fugitive offender, a person indicted by a jury in the United States of America for international financial crimes, and whose extradition is being sought, to possibly become the Leader of the Opposition,” Nandlall said.
He warned that such an outcome would damage Guyana’s parliamentary system, Constitution, and standing within the Commonwealth, adding, “We are making history for all the wrong reasons.”
Nandlall said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has taken a firm position against Mohamed’s elevation, stressing that the party’s stance is grounded in respect for the rule of law.
“The People’s Progressive Party, the party of Cheddi Jagan, is proud to stand in opposition to such a person being elevated to that high post,” he said.
The Attorney General described the Opposition Leader as effectively an “alternative president” under Guyana’s constitutional framework and cautioned that the full implications of such an appointment are not yet known. He also pointed to signals from the United States diplomatic community suggesting there could be repercussions if Mohamed assumes the role, while noting that the government does not control the opposition’s choice.
