GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday dismissed accusations that the government is deliberately delaying the convening of Parliament following the 2025 general election, stating that the administration is acting fully within the Constitution of Guyana and will recall the National Assembly within the required timeframe.
Jagdeo noted that Parliament was formally dissolved on July 2, 2025, ahead of the election. He pointed to Article 69(1) of the Constitution of Guyana, which governs the timing for the opening of Parliament after dissolution. The article states:
“Each session of Parliament shall begin within four months from the end of the preceding session.”
Based on this provision, Jagdeo emphasized that the government has until November 2, 2025 to convene Parliament. He said any claims of illegal delay are factually and legally incorrect. “We are still well within the constitutional period,” Jagdeo said. “The government will convene Parliament on or before the deadline, exactly as the law requires. Any suggestion that we are delaying to avoid parliamentary business is false.”
In recent weeks, some opposition figures and social media commentators have alleged that the government is stalling in order to prevent the opposition from naming a Leader of the Opposition. Jagdeo firmly rejected that claim, calling it “misleading and politically motivated.” He clarified that the selection of the Opposition Leader is an internal process that only takes place after Parliament is convened. “There is no such thing as ‘Opposition Leader-elect,’” he said. “The Constitution is clear — the Leader of the Opposition is chosen only after Parliament is convened and opposition members vote among themselves. The government plays no role in that process.”
Jagdeo added that the administration has no political or constitutional reason to interfere with the opposition’s affairs and said the PPP/C will move forward with its legislative agenda regardless of whether the opposition settles on a leader. “Whether the opposition agrees on a leader or not, Parliament must sit,” he said. “We will uphold the Constitution, and Parliament will be convened on time.”
He said attempts to frame the government’s constitutional compliance as a political tactic are intended to create confusion. “The Constitution gives a clear timeline, and we are following it,” Jagdeo said. “Unlike others, we govern by law, not by rumor or social media.”
Jagdeo affirmed that the government is ready to begin the next parliamentary session and advance the mandate it received from the electorate in the 2025 elections. “We have a clear agenda approved by the people, and Parliament will be convened within the constitutional deadline,” he said. “There is no delay. There is only the law — and we are following it.”