MPs slam Ali over misleading hands-off stance in opposition leader election delay

Opposition Members of Parliament have slammed President Irfaan Ali over his comments regarding the stalled election of a Leader of the Opposition, accusing the government of using “procedural blockages” to frustrate constitutional mandates.

The unified response intensified following the Saturday evening launch of the AC Marriott Hotel, where President Ali dismissed suggestions that the government was delaying parliamentary sittings to prevent the opposition from electing a leader. When questioned by the press on whether the government was delaying Parliament due to the pending legal issues of businessman and proposed opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed, the President was blunt. “Mr Mohamed has not influenced anything the government does in relation to Parliament or our development agenda,” Ali stated. “The opposition can elect whoever they want as opposition leader… That’s their business. We have no business in the opposition electing whoever they want. Our only business is advancing our development agenda.”

However, Opposition MPs argue that the President’s hands-off stance was a deliberate misrepresentation of how Guyana’s Constitution functions.