GENERAL Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, Bharrat Jagdeo, has confirmed that two of the party’s parliamentarians have dual citizenship.

Amidst fallout over parliamentarians holding dual citizenship here, he has confirmed that Adrian Anamaya and Party Stalwart, Gail Teixeira have dual citizenship.

Teixeira, who is also a Presidential hopeful, is a Canadian citizen and has been a Member of Parliament since 1992 although the Constitution bars against MPs having dual citizenship.
Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Duke Pollard had said that the National Assembly should be cleared of all Members of Parliament with dual citizenship.

The Alliance For Change said of its 11 MPs: “Ten of the party’s MPs are citizens of Guyana only. The other MP, Mr. Dominic Gaskin, was born in the United Kingdom but is a citizen of Guyana by descent.”

“The issue of renouncing citizenship does not apply to Guyanese who were born in another country,” the AFC said. It is of the opinion that Minister Gaskin, constitutionally, sits as a duly elected MP without any hindrance or issue.

The issue of dual citizenship was brought to the front burner after AFC MP Charrandass Persaud broke ranks and voted in favour of the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion to bring down his government last December.

Article 155 of the Constitution states: “(1) No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who – (a) is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.”