“There is no Opposition Leader-elect as yet, there is a process” – Vice President

– says WIN misled supporters on LOO appointment

The country’s Opposition Leader was not sworn-in at the first sitting of the National Assembly on Monday and according to Vice-President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, the selection must follow established parliamentary processes. The VP also accused the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and its founder, United States (US)-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed of misleading supporters by claiming the appointment would have taken place when the House reconvened. The 13th Parliament convened on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. Although WIN founder Azruddin Mohamed has publicly indicated his intention to assume the role of Opposition Leader, Dr Jagdeo said the appointment remains pending and must be determined in a separate process convened by the Speaker of the National Assembly and the opposition’s MPs.

“There is no Opposition Leader elected as yet, contrary to what WIN is saying,” the VP told reporters on the sidelines of Parliament. “The tradition has been that on the first day of the convening of parliament, everyone takes the oath of office, and then there is a separate process that is initiated by the Speaker, where he convenes all of the people from the opposition to elect. There is no opposition leader elected as yet, contrary to what WIN is saying. They have to go through a process, through a selection process or a voting process, to determine who will be the next opposition leader,”. “WIN misleadingly told their people that today the opposition leader would be sworn in, and somehow that it is a conspiracy of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) not to have that done. That’s all garbage. They peddle that a lot, misinformation,” Dr Jagdeo added. Further, Dr Bharrat cited past precedents, noting that in some instances it has taken weeks for the opposition to agree on a leader stating “as you recall, every single time the parliament is convened, for the first time, they then have a separate process to determine the leader of the opposition. With Norton, in Norton’s case, it took one month because the opposition could not get its act together”. The VP also addressed rumors and criticism that the Government had delayed the convening of Parliament to affect Mohamed’s status. He rejected the claims as “garbage,” framing them as misinformation circulated by the opposition. He emphasised that the timing of Parliament’s first sitting fell within constitutional parameters and that the Government had used the interim period to complete planning and preparations for its legislative agenda.

Extradition, legal troubles
The VP highlighted a parallel legal matter that may be influencing Mohamed’s urgency to be appointed. He noted that US extradition proceedings have commenced against Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed following an indictment unsealed by a US grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on October 6, 2025. The indictment reportedly charges them with multiple offences, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money-laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and customs-related violations, linked to an alleged US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme. “The indictment came… They were saying it would go away. Well, it didn’t,” the VP said, arguing that Mohamed may be seeking parliamentary status to influence or delay legal processes. He stressed that membership of Parliament — even as Opposition Leader — does not confer immunity that would prevent extradition proceedings, and reiterated that any extradition request would proceed through the courts and that due process will apply.
WIN currently holds 16 seats and represents the main parliamentary opposition. The VP suggested the party must first complete its internal selection process — convened and overseen by the Speaker — before any individual can be formally recognised as Leader of the Opposition.