Opposition Members of Parliament are now scheduled to meet on Monday, January 26, at 10:00 a.m. to elect Guyana’s next Leader of the Opposition, following a late-night announcement by Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir that came after a protest by the main opposition party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), outside his residence.
The meeting will be held ahead of the presentation of the National Budget, which is also slated for January 26.
In a televised address aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) on Tuesday night, Speaker Nadir said he had directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to arrange the meeting. However, the announcement followed hours of mounting public pressure and a demonstration by WIN supporters at his home, after earlier attempts by the party to engage him at the Parliament Office were unsuccessful.
It is widely believed the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive and the Speaker colluded to stall the election of the Leader of the Opposition, as required under Article 184(1) of the Guyana Constitution. Observers argue that the failure to convene the meeting in a timely manner effectively left Parliament without a fully functioning opposition leadership.
There had also been widespread calls from civil society organisations, the wider parliamentary opposition, and members of the Western diplomatic community for the election of the constitutional office holder and the full operationalisation of Parliament. Those calls, opposition parties say, were ignored until Tuesday night’s protest.
At the demonstration, WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed—widely expected to be elected Leader of the Opposition—issued a defiant warning to the government. “I have a stern message for the PPP. I’m not a walkover. I am still standing strong, and we’ll ensure they are held accountable every second of the day,” Mohamed declared.
Speaker Nadir, in his address, attributed the delay in convening the opposition meeting to his absence from the country on official engagements, noting that he only returned earlier this week. He also expressed dismay at the protest, confirming that WIN representatives, including Mohamed, had earlier sought a meeting with him on Tuesday.
The 13th Parliament was convened on November 3, 2025, following the September 1 General Elections, with 65 Members of Parliament sworn in. Of that total, 36 seats are held by the governing PPP/C. On the opposition benches, WIN holds 16 seats, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) holds 12, and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) holds one.
The January 26 meeting is expected to formally conclude the process of appointing the Leader of the Opposition, filling a key constitutional role that has remained vacant for months amid growing political tension.
