Parliamentary sitting to resume on June 5 – Teixeira announces

– says sitting was planned despite diplomatic concerns

In response to comments from members of the diplomatic community regarding the prolonged absence of Parliamentary sittings, Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira, on Thursday, announced that the National Assembly is expected to resume sittings on June 5, 2026.
Parliament has not convened since February 14, following the debates and passage of the 2026 national budget.
In the video statement, Teixeira expressed disappointment that the diplomatic representatives did not first engage the Government before making public comments on the matter.
“I hear comments in the media from various Ambassadors in the diplomatic corps of Guyana regarding sittings of Parliament,” Teixeira said.
“It is regrettable that the Ambassadors and those embassies and high commissions did not see fit to first engage the Government as the ruling party in the House, in the National Assembly, in terms of what its plans were for Parliament and whether there was or was not a sitting planned. It is regrettable because if they had done that, they would have been told that there was a sitting planned for June 5.”
The reported comments from the foreign missions followed lobbying efforts by the leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), Amanza Walton-Desir, who has raised concerns with regional and international bodies over the length of time that has elapsed since the National Assembly last met.
Teixeira criticised what she described as a “new style of diplomacy”. “Unfortunately, there seems to be a new style of diplomacy where our friends and allies in these embassies believe they should only listen to one side of the story and not listen to the other side,” the Minister stated.
“The other side of this case is the Government, so we wish to make it very clear that we hope this is not going to be the norm in relation to issues regarding our legislative agenda and the way in which we in Guyana run our Parliament. We hope that the engagement will be much more profound and respectful.”
Earlier in the week, the American, British, Canadian, and European (ABCEU) diplomatic missions called for the immediate reconvening of Guyana’s Parliament after an almost 100-day legislative hiatus.
At that time, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs had confirmed to other sections of the media that no date had been set.
EU Ambassador Luca Pierantoni had stated that the EU looks forward to intensive Parliamentary engagement that will enable Guyana to advance its ambitious reform agenda.
The US Embassy, in a statement, had underlined the link between legislative oversight and the nation’s ongoing economic boom, noting that “a well-functioning Parliament with legislative oversight is an important part of democratic governance.”
In addition, Canadian Ambassador Sébastien Sigouin had stressed the importance of the rule of law and the functional mechanisms of a healthy democracy during this pivotal era for the nation.
Further, a spokesperson for the British High Commission told the news entity that ‘effective Parliamentary institutions are a key pillar of democratic governance.’ The work of Parliament is an important component of Guyana’s ongoing economic growth and inclusive democratic participation.”
Meanwhile, in light of the prolonged recess of the sitting of the National Assembly, Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement Amanza Walton had since written to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Organisation of American States (OAS), and ParlAmericas.
The party, on Tuesday, delivered a petition signed by 100 Guyanese citizens to the Clerk of the National Assembly, demanding that Parliament sit.