–Coalition yet to select Opposition Leader

MONTHS after the resignations of Nicolette Henry as a Member of Parliament and Joseph Harmon as Opposition Leader and Member of Parliament, clearing up two seats on the Opposition benches, there is still no clear sign that Aubrey Norton will occupy the chair of Opposition Leader.

Henry had indicated two months ahead that she will resign her post. Her resignation took effect on March 31, 2022, paving the way for Norton to enter the House and be appointed Opposition Leader on April 1 (All Fools Day) or any other day, thereafter.

The Executive of the PNC/R, which is the largest party in the APNU+AFC Coalition, wants Norton to become Opposition Leader but from all appearances, not everyone in the party is in favour of this decision. Norton had defeated Harmon in the PNC/R leadership race in December last year in a contest that saw non-participation from more than 60 per cent of the voting delegates.

Harmon initially had refused to give up the post of Opposition Leader but relented amid mounting pressure from party comrades. He subsequently resigned as a Member of Parliament but earlier he had resigned as General Secretary of the APNU+AFC Coalition. Former President, David Granger had also resigned as Chairman of the Coalition.

The process to fill the two vacant opposition seats begins with Granger, who is Representative of the List of Candidates for the APNU+AFC, with him informing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) of the existing vacancies and the names of the persons to fill them.

From all indications, he is yet to do so, even though Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir has formally written to him, notifying him of resignations of Henry and Harmon and the vacancies that exist in the opposition benches in the House as a result of their departure.

Since losing the March 2, 2020 Regional and General Elections, the PNC/R in particular and the Coalition in general, have been rocked by internal conflicts which have resulted in the departure of some members and the vast majority of their membership criticising the performance of their party leaders.

In a bid to stay in power, elements in GECOM with the support of the Coalition had attempted to rig the elections through a series of fraudulent vote count and frivolous court cases. The Court of Appeal had ruled in favour of the Coalition in the court cases but all were thrown out by the Caribbean Court of Justice on appeal.

In the end, it took GECOM five months to declare the credible results of the March 2, 2020 Regional and General Elections, but not after enormous pressure from local stakeholders and the international community forced the Coalition to cease from illegitimately occupying the set of government.