Election for opposition leader… APNU says law provides for election of LOO, still dependent on House Speaker

Nov 08, 2025 News

---

(Kaieteur News) – The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has made it clear that the election for the leader of the opposition lies squarely in the hands of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.

At the party’s press conference on Friday, APNU Member of Parliament (MP) Vinceroy Jordan reminded that while the constitution provides for the election of an opposition leader, it sets no specific timeframe for when this must occur.

“There is no specific timeline with regards to the election of an opposition leader and so the ball is now in the court of the speaker of the national assembly who is responsible for calling a meeting being chaired by himself and having the clerk of the national assembly present with all opposition members at that meeting,” MP Jordan noted.

When pressed about whether the absence of a set date could see no opposition leader being in place for the current parliamentary session, Jordan said that precedent shows such elections have not always taken place at the first or even second sitting of parliament. “One would want to wait and see if it will actually happen at the first sitting, which will happen on a date to be named or the second and then we can determine as to whether we will not have an opposition leader probably for this entire session. But again, it is up to the speaker of the national assembly,” he stated.

Jordan outlined that We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) which is led by sanctioned Guyanese businessman Azruddin Mohamed, holds the most opposition seats, and has already written to the speaker requesting that the election be held. “Legal minds will then have to look at how we will approach it, both politically and legally, as a party we’ll have to look at that but at this point to go down the road to want to preempt what will happen, I don’t think it will be in the best interest of the APNU speaking on that at this time,” he added.

Meanwhile, APNU leader Aubrey Norton highlighted that the constitution makes provision for there to be an opposition leader, and therefore, one must eventually be elected. “The constitution provides for an opposition leader and therefore to me it follows logically that there must be an opposition leader. The question of time, when the opposition leader will actually be elected, I think you should ask the speaker and the government,” Norton asserted.

The 13th Parliament of Guyana opened on Monday November 3, with the swearing-in of 36 Members of Parliament (MPs) from the government and 29 from the combined opposition. However, the sitting ended without any announcement on when the speaker will convene a meeting for the election of the opposition leader.

The presumptive opposition leader is Azruddin Mohamed, who was among 16 persons sworn in as MPs for his WIN party of the 13th Parliament. His swearing-in came just days after he and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, were arrested and brought before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for the start of extradition proceedings requested by the United States Government. The father-son duo is facing an 11-count indictment in a U.S. federal court in Miami related to financial crimes. They were each granted bail in the sum of $150,000.

During Monday’s sitting held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in Liliendaal, Nadir was unanimously re-elected Speaker of the National Assembly, while government MP Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo was elected deputy speaker after securing 36 votes from the PPP/C benches.

Speaking with reporters after the swearing in of the MPs, Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, explained, “the standing orders is silent on the election of the leader of the opposition, but the constitution speaks to the election of the leader of the opposition, it doesn’t say when the meeting to be held…”

He noted that the election is conducted at a meeting chaired by the speaker and decided by a show of hands. “The constitution doesn’t say when the meeting is to be held, if it’s at the first sitting or the second sitting or third sitting it’s at the discretion of the speaker,” Isaacs said.

“What happened in this case, Mr. Mohamed wrote the speaker, the speaker sent the letter to me to acknowledge to say we are in receipt of the letter and to inform Mr. Mohamed that his request is receiving attention or being considered, the speaker used the word considered. So, I think it is receiving the attention of the speaker,” Isaacs added.

---

• APNU, Election, Manzoor Nadir, Opposition Leader, Vinceroy Jordan

---