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AFC misled nation, only secured 3.8% of overall votes in LGE – Jagdeo
The Alliance For Change (AFC) did not secure 10 percent of the votes cast at the recently concluded Local Government Election (LGE) as propagated by the party’s leaders. In fact, the AFC only secured just 3.8 percent of the votes.
Leader of the People’s Progressive Party Civic, Bharrat Jagdeo was keen to point this out at a press conference on Monday morning at his Church Street Office.
There, Jagdeo referred to a press statement that the AFC had issued focusing on the results of LGE.
Jagdeo recalled that AFC acknowledged that there was a low percentage of voter turnouts at polls across the country. “They said that the initial results were not as projected and it fell below the party’s expectation,” said Jagdeo.
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo
He then quoted, verbatim, a line from the statement, which read, “The AFC however, based on our preliminary analysis, has in fact moderately increased its support among Guyanese from the 10.32 percent, which it registered in 2011.”
Jagdeo said, “So, this looks good. They have increased their percentages from 2011, the last time it contested. But what is the fact? Just 208,000 Guyanese voted in the 2018 LGE. AFC got 8,000 votes. Eight thousand votes as a percentage of 208,000 would be just under four percent. They have a huge problem with mathematics in the AFC, the problem is massive.”
The Opposition Leader continued, “And the one (Prime Minister, Moses) Nagamootoo said that if you can call it (AFC) the 10 percent party, it is still a credible force. What 10 percent party? You are a four percent, actually 3.8 percent party that is what you are. And they put this out as a press statement misleading the entire Guyana. Basic mathematics they cannot do in that party. In fact, let me say, the AFC has become the most dishonest political party in this country.”
At a recent forum at Congress Place, Sophia, AFC leaders told the press that the party maintains its support base of 10 percent of the votes cast.
They said this as leader of both the AFC and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said that there are currently no efforts afoot to review the Cummingsburg Accord.
The Cummingsburg Accord is the agreement that governs APNU and AFC existence at the helm of Guyana.
The AFC entered the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGE) independently.
Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo
Now that the polls are over, the AFC sought to affirm on Friday last that it is still unwaveringly committed to the coalition and will be contesting the General and Regional Elections just as it did in 2015.
Minister of Public Security, AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan, told the media that the results of LGE show that that party he co-founded maintains its status as a force to be reckoned with.
Prime Minister, AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo, echoed the sentiments of his colleague. Nagamootoo said, “You cannot mess with figures”. He said that the figures show that the AFC has maintained 10 percent of the votes. He said that even if it went down to as low as one percent of the votes, it would still be needed, as that one percent, along with APNU, is enough to keep the PPP/C out of power.
Greenidge said, “This was an approach to governance in its entirety that was crafted with all of the relevant parties of the coalition. As far as I can recall, it is a formula with the longest longevity of any formula that has been crafted.
“That means that the parties organized to fashion the formula. At this point in time, that formula has worked. There is no signal at this point in time, from the parties, that there is an intention to change.”
Nevertheless, Greenidge said that there is the capacity, “once the parties believe that the formula can be improved, they can always call on each other to sit and look at it again. It is not something cast in stone, recognizing that circumstances change”.
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