Irfaan Ali

Dr. Hon. Mohamed Irfaan Ali is a Guyanese politician, sitting Member of Parliament and a former Minister of Housing in Guyana. Ali was elected Presidential Candidate for the People's Progressive Party on January 19, 2019.

Early life & education 
Ali was born in Leonora, a village in the West Coast Demarara region of Guyana.  The child of two educators and one of two sons, Ali also spent much of his formative years on the island of Leguan. He is a past student of the Leonora Nursery and Primary schools and Cornelia Ida Primary. Ali completed his secondary education at St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown, Guyana.  He holds a doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the West Indies.

Professional career 
Ali served as Project Manager of the Caribbean Development Bank's Project Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Finance and Senior Planner in the State Planning Secretariat.

Political career 
Ali became a member of the National Assembly of Guyana in 2006. He was subsequently appointed to the portfolios of Minister of Housing and Water and Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce.

During his tenure as Minister, Ali performed the functions of President and Prime Minister on separate occasions. In 2015, the People's Progressive Party (PPP/C) went into opposition during which time he served as chair of the Public Accounts Committee and co-chair the Economic Services Committee of the Parliament of Guyana.

Presidential candidacy 
Irfaan Ali is the Presidential Candidate of the People's Progressive Party (PPP/C) for the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections in Guyana.

He was selected as the presidential candidate for the People's Progressive Party on January 19, 2019. His controversial selection came at a time after Ali had been charged with 19 counts of conspiracy and fraud by Guyana's Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). Immediately following his selection, Ali was accused of academic fraud.

References 

Category:Living people
Category:Guyanese politicians
Category:Government ministers of Guyana
Category:Guyanese politicians of Indian descent
Category:1980 births