Social activist Mark Benschop has welcomed calls from the international community for Guyana’s Parliament to reconvene, describing the prolonged absence of sittings as a threat to democracy and accountability.
Speaking with Village Voice News, Benschop said the failure to convene Parliament for more than three months is unacceptable and reflects a worrying trend in the country’s governance.
Guyana’s National Assembly last sat on February 14, 2026, when lawmakers approved the country’s $1.382 trillion budget. Since then, no sitting has been scheduled despite increasing calls from political parties, civil society groups and members of the diplomatic community for the legislature to resume its constitutional functions.
The issue gained international attention after Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) wrote to diplomatic missions highlighting the prolonged non-sitting of Parliament and the implications for democratic governance. In response, representatives of the United States, European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement stressing the importance of parliamentary democracy and calling for the National Assembly to reconvene.
“I find it commendable that the U.S. Ambassador and other foreign members of the diplomatic community, the EU, the Canadians, and the UK issued a statement pertaining to the non-holding of parliament or non-sitting of parliament,” Benschop told Village Voice News.
He said the concerns expressed by the diplomatic community mirror those already being raised by citizens, civil society organisations and opposition political parties.
“I do hope that the call coming from others in society, the opposition parties, and members of civil society and citizens as a whole find it questionable that the government of Guyana, headed by Irfan Ali, has not seen it fit to hold parliament or to have parliament not be held for such a long time,” he said.
The controversy intensified this week when members of the FGM handed a petition to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, demanding that Parliament be reconvened immediately. The petition was presented on Tuesday amid growing criticism that one of the country’s most important democratic institutions has effectively been placed in abeyance.
Adding to the concern, Isaacs reportedly indicated that he does not know when Parliament will next sit, a disclosure critics say underscores the uncertainty surrounding the legislature’s future schedule.
The National Assembly is one of the three constitutionally established branches of government and serves as the principal mechanism for oversight of the executive. Through debates, motions, questions to ministers and the work of parliamentary committees, elected representatives scrutinise government policies, public spending and the performance of state agencies.
Parliamentary committees are particularly important because they examine public accounts, review legislation and investigate matters of national importance. Their work helps ensure transparency and accountability in government. When Parliament does not meet for extended periods, those oversight functions are significantly curtailed, limiting opportunities for elected representatives to hold the executive accountable on behalf of citizens.
The prolonged recess has drawn criticism from both the FGM and the Alliance For Change (AFC), which have accused the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP) government of failing to respect Parliament’s central role in democratic governance. The AFC has also called on the parliamentary opposition groupings—the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN)—to join the demand for Parliament’s immediate reconvening.
Benschop rejected any attempt to justify the situation by pointing to actions of previous governments.
“It is unacceptable whether someone else or whomever this may have happened under in the past is irrelevant today,” he said.
“What is relevant or what we are observing is that democracy is slowly, is quickly becoming a thing of the past in Guyana, and we must quickly nip that in the bud.“
He argued that the government must urgently reverse course and demonstrate respect for citizens’ democratic rights.
“This current regime will have to correct all of the wrongs that they are doing to send that signal,” Benschop said, contending that the administration was creating the impression that citizens have “no rights at all” and that the PPP is prepared to “trample on the rights of citizens and trample on the people’s democratic rights and democratic values.”
“It must be stopped, and therefore Parliament must be held, a date ought to be announced with immediate effect,” he added.
While welcoming the diplomatic intervention, Benschop said international partners should also speak out on what he views as broader violations of citizens’ rights in Guyana. His comments add to growing pressure on the government to explain why Parliament has remained dormant since February and to set a date for its return, amid increasing concerns that prolonged inaction by the legislature is weakening one of the country’s most important democratic safeguards.
