Diplomatic Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union, have all issued a call for elections to be held for a Leader of the Opposition in Guyana.

Although the 13^th Parliament was convened in early November with the swearing in of all members following last September’s elections, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, has refused to call a meeting of all Opposition Members to allow the election of an Opposition Leader.  Nadir has not provided any reason for his decision not to call the meeting.

The Stabroek News quoted the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, as stating that the election for a leader of the Opposition should be held without further delay as the appointment is necessary to allow all parliamentarians to fully execute their constitutional duties in representing the people of Guyana.

The US Ambassador, Nicole Theriot and Canadian High Commissioner Sebastian Sigouin, have both indicated that the election of the leader of the opposition should be held as soon as possible as an active parliament is important to Guyana’s continued growth.  The EU Ambassador to Guyana, Luca Pieran-toni, told the Stabroek News that he would be surprised if the issue is not addressed at the next sitting of Parliament, which should take place in the coming weeks.

In wake of the calls by the western diplomats, the We Invest in Nationhood party, which holds the majority on the opposition side of the National Assembly, has stated that it welcomes the position of the diplomatic representatives.

In a statement on Sunday, WIN said the Government is avoiding legitimate oversight, and the governing party wants to use state resources without any checks and balances.

The Leader of the WIN party, embattled and sanctioned businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, is likely to become the Leader of the Opposition as his party will have the most votes when the election is called for the position.

The position of Leader of the Opposition is a constitutional position with the President being required to consult with the Leader of the Opposition on several key appointments.

Mohamed, is currently fighting an extradition request by the United States along with his father.  The two are facing an 11-count US indictment on allegations of mail and wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion linked to the export of gold from Guyana.

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