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…cites personal reasons, interest of coalition
Former Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon resigned as a Member of Parliament effective March 15, he confirmed to Village Voice News Friday evening.
In a brief correspondence confirming his resignation, Harmon told the Village Voice News that he submitted his Letter of resignation on Thursday, March 3, 2022. His reason – personal.
“For personal reason which I considered in the national interest and that of the APNU+AFC,” he told this newspaper on Friday night.
Harmon became Leader of the Opposition in 2020 after the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) lost that year’s General and Regional Elections to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
However, his tenure as Opposition Leader was short lived after he lost the battle for the Leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – the largest political party in the coalition – to Political Scientist, Aubrey Norton in December, 2021.
By January 2022, the Executive of the PNCR called for Harmon to be replaced by Norton.
Amid public pressure, Harmon resigned as the Leader of the Opposition on January 26 with immediate effect paving the way for Norton to take up the mantle. But the position of Leader of the Opposition has evaded Norton to date simply because he must await a seat on the Opposition side of the House to become vacant before he can be sworn in as a Member of Parliament, ultimately Opposition Leader.
Dr. Nicolette Henry, who served as Minister of Education under the APNU+AFC Government, also submitted a Letter of Resignation to the National Assembly in February to presumably make way for Norton in the House, however, her resignation takes effect on March 31.
During PNCR’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, Norton disclosed that the Leader of the List of Representative, David Granger, has been asked to extract his name to allow for him to sit in Parliament. However, that process could only be activated when a seat becomes vacant in the House from the Opposition benches.
