President Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday clarified that the timing of the election of a new Leader of the Opposition rests entirely with the National Assembly, noting that the process cannot move forward until the Speaker of the House is back in the country to convene the required sitting.
His comments come amid public questions about the apparent delay in opposition MPs meeting to choose their leader, a step that the President says he wants completed before he addresses the 13th Parliament in full.
Speaking with reporters, President Ali stressed that the Executive has no role in setting the date for this session.
“There are three branches of government, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary,” he said.
“The Legislature would, within the rules, constitute their meeting at the relevant time to have the Leader of the Opposition elected. That is in their domain.”
The President pointed out that Speaker Manzoor Nadir is currently overseas, and as such, it would be unreasonable to expect the election process to move ahead until he returns.
“From what I’ve seen in the news, the Speaker is travelling now,” he said.
“You don’t expect the Speaker, while he’s overseas, to convene the meeting. I’m sure that the Speaker and the National Assembly would convene the meeting at the appropriate time and have that process completed.”
Under Guyana’s Constitution, non-government MPs must first be sworn in before electing one of their members as Opposition Leader. That meeting must be chaired by the Speaker—or the Clerk of the National Assembly if the Speaker is unavailable—at a properly convened sitting.
President Ali reiterated that the government is respecting constitutional boundaries and will not dictate when the parliamentary process should occur.
The President has confirmed that he will deliver a major address to Parliament once all constitutional and administrative matters, such as the election of the Opposition Leader, are finalised.
He has promised a detailed outline of his government’s vision through 2030, including strategies for national development, resilience and sustainability.
As Guyana’s 13th Parliament begins its work, President Ali said he is confident the legislative branch will fulfil its responsibilities in due course.
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