APNU, AFC ink MoU to discuss possibility of coalition ahead of 2025 elections

Jan 22, 2025 News

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…agreement on life support, fate of partnership to be determined by March 31- Nigel Hughes

Kaieteur News – The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) on Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the possibility of coalescing ahead of the 2025 Elections.

This was revealed by Leader of the AFC, Nigel Hughes, last evening, during a hurriedly conducted virtual press conference.

In his opening remarks, Hughes, the prominent attorney-at-law, stated, “The AFC remains committed to contesting these elections on its own if necessary. That is the position of the party. We have been authorized by our executive to enter into discussion with other parties. We believe that with some parties, it is better to have documented the parameters of our engagement just so that we are all on the same page. However, there is no change in our commitment to enter into these elections on our own if necessary and any parties which will engage with us in the interest of the country.”

While just hours old, the lawyer said the agreement with the APNU was on life support.

According to him “trust and confidentiality” are key principles sacred to the AFC.

He explained, “The AFC’s position tonight is that there have been developments which caused us to pause. Now anything that is on life support, the fact that it is on life support I think holds out that there is always hope and promise that we will move from that position to one that is positive but of course, there is an equal possibility of a movement in a less than favourable direction.”

Hughes was reluctant to say what conditions are likely to be met to revive the agreement from its current state and towards a coalition for the 2025 Elections, citing a confidentiality clause in the agreement.

Kaieteur News understands that another section of the media reported on the contents of the MoU, which may not have been accurate.

Hughes said the press conference was to “clarify matters that had surfaced during the course of the afternoon in relation to this agreement”, adding that the terms of the would be made public “in due course.”

In the meantime, the lawyer noted that the agreement is structured in two phases. “The first phase will be an exploratory phase where we examine whether or not it is possible for us to collaborate in the national interest and present a joint team or a single team to contest the next elections,” he said.

Hughes said that the second phase is dependent on whether the two sides successfully conclude the first phase.

The AFC Leader made it clear that Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton has not been decided on as leader of any possible coalition.

According to him, “There has to be a mechanism for identifying, assuming that it gets out of life support and gets back on its feet, there has to be mechanisms and a process for identifying the leadership. For us, that process has to be driven by scientific means. Polls and other criteria.”

In the meantime, the lawyer noted that the two sides have both appointed respective negotiators. Due to the confidentiality clause in the agreement, he would only state that Jamaican, Olson Stewart, is representing the AFC.

Hughes said that the AFC will seek to advance priorities and programmes he outlined previously. These include a balanced budget that addresses the transfer of wealth, among others. He was reluctant to share further details to avoid prejudicing the discussions.

In keeping with the agreement signed, the two parties have a March 31 deadline to determine the fate of a coalition ahead of this year’s election.

The AFC, under the stewardship of former Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, had decided not to renew the Cummingsburg Accord- the binding agreement with the APNU- in 2023 upon its expiration.

At that time, Ramjattan explained, “We had a partnership agreement that indicated terms of withdrawal within three years to five years, and we have so withdrawn on the third year. It is not a split. We will still remain cordial and courteous and have engagements because we know that, indeed, that is necessary for a united opposition against this very corrupt PPP government.”

He said it was on December 28, 2022, that he met with Norton to relay the party’s decision to withdraw from the APNU.

On February 14, 2015, the AFC signed the Cummingsburg Accord with the APNU, binding the two political parties as a Coalition. They later defeated the PPP at the 2015 elections held in May that year. Since then, the Coalition has stood together but not without its internal hiccups.

Though most of these are kept quiet by the members, Ramjattan hinted before that the two sides had a misunderstanding over the Region Four Vice Chairman position that led to its decision to leave the APNU.

It must be noted too that the tension between the APNU and AFC sparked when a member of the Alliance For Change, Charrandass Persaud, turned against the Coalition and voted in favour of a ‘No Confidence’ Motion that was filed against the then government in December 2018. This led to the historic over turn of the Coalition government.

(APNU, AFC ink MoU to discuss possibility of coalition ahead of 2025 elections)

(APNU, AFC ink MoU)

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• Coalition, Elections, Hughes, life support, MOU

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