APNU left meeting after Azruddin nominated Opposition Leader; Amanza votes in favour

The 11 Members of Parliament (MPs) for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) walked out of the meeting for the election of the Leader of the Opposition on Monday after fugitive offender Azruddin Mohamed was nominated for the post.

APNU chose not to nominate a candidate, but it also did not stay to vote for Azruddin.

Terrence Campbell, the lead Parliamentarian for APNU said APNU looked forward to working with Azruddin’s WIN party and hoped there would be an “improvement of collaboration.”

“It has not been the best road so far,” Campbell stated.

Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) remained for the vote and voted with Azruddin and his other 15 MPs to secure the position.

Mohamed indicated that the election took place without incident.

“The process was very smooth, no hiccups, no delay. In less than five minutes I was elected Leader of the Opposition, ready to serve the people of this country.

Azruddin Mohamed, along with his father Nazar Mohamed have been indicted on several charges in the United States and are now facing extradition proceedings. They are charged with, among other things, money laundering, wire and mail fraud, bribery and tax evasion and related allegations.

The election of the Leader of the Opposition was conducted during a meeting convened by Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, ahead of the presentation of the 2026 National Budget.

The process formally establishes the leadership of the parliamentary opposition in the 13th Parliament.