New Delhi, Jan. 27 -- A Guyanese businessman facing extradition to the U.S. on gold smuggling and money laundering charges was elected Monday as the country's opposition leader, six months after he formed a political party that quickly became the second largest in the South American nation.

Azruddin Mohamed, 38, was confirmed as Guyana's opposition leader after 16 lawmakers from the We Invest in Nationhood Party (WIN) and another from a single-seat outfit voted in his favor. The tally made WIN the second-largest party in parliament, securing Mohamed's election even as a magistrate's court hears state arguments for his extradition to the U.S.

Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, were indicted last year in Florida on federal charges of ...