President to engage Opposition Leader only on constitutional mandates

Jul 03, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday said that he will engage the Leader of the Opposition only when required by the Constitution to execute specific presidential functions, maintaining that the government’s existing recommendations for the substantive appointments of Chancellor and Chief Justice remain unchanged.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony for six new Puisne judges at his Shiv Chanderpaul Drive office, the Head-of-State addressed questions regarding the timing of fresh consultations with the opposition leadership on key constitutional appointments, including the judiciary and the Police Service Commission (PSC).

When pressed on whether he would initiate new consultations regarding the long-vacant substantive posts of Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice, President Ali noted that the administration’s position had already been formally documented and communicated to the previous holder of the office.

“As you’re aware, I’d already expressed through a letter to the then opposition leader my intention for proposing the appointment of the Chancellor and the Chief Justice,” President Ali stated. “That letter remains the position of the government,” he said.

Questioned on whether this stance would be formally re-communicated to the current Leader of the Opposition, President Ali emphasised the principle of governance continuity. “The government continued after winning the elections,” Ali said. “In the continuity of government, we have expressed or suggested based on the Constitution a recommendation in terms of the Chancellor and Chief Justice. That recommendation has not changed.”

The President also addressed the current status of the Police Service Commission, which has faced operational delays due to vacancies within its membership. “Well, the Police Service Commission, unfortunately, we had two members who passed away,” President Ali explained, noting that legislative mechanisms are moving forward to remedy the situation. “The Appointments Committee of the Parliament has just been established.”

Reiterating his commitment to legal protocols amid questions over the timing of future bilateral engagements with the opposition, the President concluded that his administration would strictly follow constitutional mandates.

“Definitely, wherever my role as President requires a constitutional function to be executed, as a President who strongly believes in democracy and the rule of law and governing in keeping with the Constitution, you can expect that I will uphold the requirements of the Constitution,” President Ali said.

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Constitution, constitutional mandates, Opposition Leader, President Irfaan Ali

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