Azruddin Mohamed Elected Leader of the Opposition

January 26 2025

Azruddin Mohamed of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) was on Monday sworn in as Guyana’s new Leader of the Opposition following an election held among Opposition Members of Parliament at the Parliament Buildings.

Mohamed was the sole nominee for the post and secured the required support after Amanza Walton-Desir, the lone Member of Parliament from the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), voted in his favour along with the 16 WIN MPs.

The 12 Members of Parliament from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) exited the meeting shortly after the nomination was made and did not nominate a candidate.

General and Regional Elections were held on September 1, with official results declared on September 6.

The governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) secured 36 seats in the National Assembly, while WIN gained 16 seats, APNU secured 12 seats, and the Forward Guyana Movement gained one seat.

Parliament was convened on November 3, 2025, when Members of Parliament were officially sworn in.

However, the election of a Leader of the Opposition was delayed for more than three months, despite repeated public calls and protests urging that the position be filled.

The prolonged delay drew criticism from civil society and attracted the attention of the diplomatic community.

United States Ambassador Nicole Theriot, United Kingdom Ambassador Jane Miller, Canadian Ambassador Sebastian Sigouin, and European Union Ambassador Luca Pierantoni all publicly expressed concern, noting that the effective functioning of a democracy depends on the operation of all branches of government.

Throughout the period of mounting pressure, Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir allegedly avoided questions regarding the election of a Leader of the Opposition.

Even after a date was announced for the presentation of the national budget, no date had been set for the opposition leadership vote.

On Tuesday evening, supporters of WIN staged a peaceful protest outside Speaker Nadir’s Eccles, East Bank Demerara residence.

Later that evening, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Nadir announced that a meeting would be convened at 10:00 a.m. on January 26, 2026, to elect the Leader of the Opposition.

In an address prior to announcing the date, the Speaker attributed the delay to Mohamed’s pending extradition proceedings, citing the need to “uphold the dignity” of the National Assembly.

He also criticised members of the diplomatic community, sections of the media, and WIN’s leadership over calls for Mohamed’s election.

Following his election on Monday, Mohamed expressed appreciation for the support he received, noting that he was the sole nominee for the position.

APNU leader Terrence Campbell told the media that the party is looking forward to working with WIN.