@Former Member posted:PNC cannot arbitrarily change Opposition Leader or APNU+AFC List Rep; procedures must be followed – Ramjattan
AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan
Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan has argued that the established procedures must be followed before the Leader of the Opposition or Representative of the List of the APNU+AFC Coalition can be changed.
In expanding on his point, the AFC Leader made it clear that he is “not taking a side for Norton or Harmon”.“Leader of the Opposition is appointed at the first meeting of the Parliament by a process that the Constitution of Guyana provides for…not the constitution of the PNC or the AFC or any Cummingsburg Agreement that we might have,” he explained.
Leader of the Opposition
184. (1) The Leader of the Opposition shall be elected by and from among the non governmental members of the National Assembly at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the speaker of the national Assembly, who shall not have the right to vote:
(2) The office of the Leader of the Opposition shall become
vacant if—
(a) the holder thereof ceases to be a member of the Assembly for any cause other than a dissolution of Parliament
(b) he is not a member of the Assembly when the Assembly first meets after the dissolution of Parliament
(c) by virtue of article 156(2) or (3) he is required to cease to exercise his functions as a member of the Assembly; or
(d) his removal from office is effected under the provisions of the next following paragraph.
(3) Where one-third of the non governmental members of the Assembly represent to the Speaker that the Leader of the Opposition no longer enjoys their confidence, the Speaker shall call a meeting of all the non governmental members at which it shall be decided whether the Leader of the Opposition shall be removed from office; the removal shall be effected by the votes of a majority of all the non governmental members.
(4) The election and removal from office of the Leader of the Opposition shall be by a show of hands.
(5) For every reference in any provision in this Constitution to the term “Minority Leader” there shall be substituted the term “Leader of the Opposition” and any such provision shall be read and construed accordingly with such modification as may be necessary.
Source -- Guyana Constitution -- Section 184 -- https://www.oas.org/juridico/s...guy_constitution.pdf