A New and United Guyana, which is one of the three Joinder list parties that won a seat in the National Assembly at the last elections, is accusing the leader of one of the other parties of refusing to give up her parliamentary seat to allow the ANUG representative into the National Assembly.

Under their Memorandum of Understanding, the three parties agreed to share the seat in the National Assembly based on the votes.

With just 244 votes, TNM was expected to spend 91 days in the rotating seat then make way for the ANUG representative. However, now more than 180 days since taking up the seat, the TNM Leader, Dr. Asha Kissoon is still to give it up.

In a statement today, ANUG said Dr. Kissoon is now an imposter in the National Assembly.

“After the 2020 Election, Mr. Lennox Shuman took occupation of the single merger seat on behalf of LJP, and occupied that seat for two and one-half years, before honouring his commitment and resigning. Because TNM was allocated only a few months by virtue of the Memorandum of Understanding, and was at risk of being kept out of Parliament altogether, in the event that an early election was called in 2025, ANUG offered to permit TNM to take the seat for their allotted period immediately when Mr. Schuman demitted. Dr. Asha Kissoon duly assumed the seat in Parliament on behalf of TNM. If she intended to honour the commitment made by her in the Memorandum of Understanding, Dr. Kissoon should have resigned that seat in November, 2023”, the statement said.

The party said with Dr. Kissoon not giving up the seat, she is going against the agreement reached between the three parties.

“She has so far refused to relinquish her seat, and remains an imposter in possession of the seat as a Member of Parliament against the will of the electorate as a result of her breach of trust, and has not committed in writing to ANUG to any timeline whatsoever to demit office. Her single verbal and informal promise to vacate office on 29th February, 2024, three months late, has now apparently also been breached by Dr. Kissoon”

ANUG is calling on Dr. Asha Kissoon to do “the right thing”, adding that it is regrettable that such circumstances have arisen, further undermining the confidence of the Guyanese people in third parties.

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