… claims Teixeira, Lumumba still possess foreign citizenship
As the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) forges ahead with plans for the appointment of its full Cabinet by this week, Leader of the United Republican Party (URP) has redirected its attention to the fact that parliamentary selections cannot be dual citizens.
The matter of dual citizenship had come up following the December 2018 no-confidence motion against the former government when former Alliance For Change (AFC) Member, Charrandas Persaud — who possess both Canadian and Guyanese citizenship — crossed the floor in favor of the PPP/C.
The High Court and Court of Appeal ruled later in 2019, that legislators who hold dual citizenships are not qualified to be Members of Parliament (MPs), in keeping with Guyana’s Constitution.
As a result, former government Ministers Joseph Harmon, Carl Greenidge and Dr. Rupert Roopnarine gave up their foreign citizenship while Dominic Gaskin resigned as an MP because his nationality is tied to the United Kingdom (UK) where he was born.
Meanwhile, on the current government’s end, new Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira reportedly gave up her Canadian citizenship in June 2019. PPP/C Members, Odinga Lumumba and Adrian Anamayah also reportedly gave up their foreign citizenship.
It is uncertain whether all those President Irfaan Ali hopes to appoint to parliamentary/Cabinet positions do not possess dual citizenship. Nonetheless, URP Leader Dr. Vishnu Bandhu reminded, in advance, that the President’s appointments must stay in line with the Constitution.
“The United Republican Party leader Dr. Vishnu Bandhu is calling on the newly elected President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali to ensure that his parliamentary selections are not dual citizens, according to the Constitution of Guyana… Dr. Bandhu is adamant that former parliamentarians and new admissions to parliament must not be dual citizens,” a release from the party stated.
Dr. Bandhu claims that Teixeira and Lumumba still possess foreign citizenship. The URP Leader relinquished his own United States (U.S.) dual citizenship in 2020 with hopes of making it into the National Assembly subsequent to the 2020 elections.
However, his party secured less that 500 votes in the March 2, General Election and less than 1,500 in the Regional Election.
