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Pres. Ali: Opposition Leader’s election must wait for Speaker’s return
(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali on Thursday said that Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, is currently out of the country, and as a result, the meeting to elect a Leader of the Opposition cannot be held until he returns.
His comment comes amid threats of legal action from the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, led by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, over the Speaker’s failure to convene the meeting with opposition MPs to elect the leader of the opposition.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), President Ali said: “From what I’ve seen in the news, the speaker is traveling now, so you don’t expect the speaker to convene a meeting while he’s traveling or he’s on his overseas trip. So I’m sure that the speaker and the National Assembly, would convene a meeting at the appropriate time and have that process completed.”
Following the convening of parliament earlier this month, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs explained that while the constitution outlines the process for electing the opposition leader, it does not specify when the meeting must be held.
“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 told reporters.
WIN in a statement following the convening of parliament expressed concern that the Speaker’s silence calls into question the impartiality of the parliamentary process. “This unexplained silence stands in contrast to the Speaker’s public oath to execute the functions of his office ‘without fear or favour, affection or ill will,’ and raises legitimate concerns regarding the impartial administration of parliamentary processes,” the party said.
The party said that while the President was swiftly sworn in following the elections, the same urgency should have been applied to the election of the Opposition Leader.
As such, the WIN party further accused the administration of deliberately stalling the process. “The Leader of the Opposition is not symbolic; the Constitution requires that the holder of this office be consulted on major appointments, including the Police Commissioner, Chancellor, Chief Justice, and members of the Judicial Service Commission. Delaying this office undermines the balance of power and signals a disregard for constitutional governance,” the statement added.
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Ali if just full of crap on the OL selection and vote.
His hands long reach touches everyone, everything.
How long ago was the last election ?