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AFC says will go it alone
…but still open to last-minute Coalition with APNU
Kaieteur News- The Alliance For Change (AFC) on Thursday announced that it will be contesting the upcoming General Elections without the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
AFC and APNU had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on January 21, 2025 to identify shared principles, a political platform, goals, and terms for collaboration in the interest of achieving the mutual political goal of successfully contesting this year’s General and Regional Elections.
AFC Leader, Nigel Hughes
The MoU stipulated that if no agreement is reached by March 31, 2025, to proceed as a coalition, the agreement will end, and no coalition will be formed. The two sides had however agreed to extend this timeline after failing to reach an agreement by that timeline.
On Thursday, Chairman of the AFC, David Patterson during a party press conference revealed that despite the best efforts of the two negotiating teams, a mutually agreed position could not be met.
“Regrettably, we have, despite the best efforts of our negotiation team, been able to arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement with APNU. We’ve communicated our decision, regrettably so to APNU, and we have also indicated to them that we will proceed with our campaign as the Alliance For Change since time is of the essence,” the Member of Parliament (MP) explained.
Patterson added that the AFC is willing to cooperate with the APNU and “other individuals” in areas outside the elections. According to him, the door is open to changes to this position prior to nomination day.
Meanwhile, Leader of the AFC and the party’s Presidential Candidate, Nigel Hughes made it clear that the AFC never objected to Opposition and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton as the Coalition’s Presidential Candidate. Instead, he believes that a scientific process should make such a determination.
“If we conducted those scientific reviews and we looked at the data and Mr. Norton was the person on top, clearly that would be quite acceptable to us,” Hughes explained.
PNCR and Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton
Although it was proposed that scientific data be used to determine the Presidential candidate, Patterson said this was not mutually agreed to.
Be that as it may, he was reluctant to disclose any specific issues the two sides failed to agree to. “There is no specific issue I will like to venture into and we do think time is of the essence,” Patterson told reporters as he noted elections are likely by November but can be hosted much earlier.
Hughes had previously indicated his willingness to step aside for a consensus candidate and had touted businessman Terrence Campbell as a suitable candidate. Norton on the other hand did not make his position known on that suggestion. Instead he said that a Presidential Candidate would have to be selected by his party.
In the meantime, the Chairman said the AFC is open to membership from all individuals, even those with ties to the ruling PPP administration.
He said, “Should anybody want to join, groups, parties, individuals, former members, even the PPP whoever it is that wants to come on board, as we have done all the time we will openly disclose such, when and how, and if that happens.”
Patterson said the PPP is currently in a “freefall” with failed decisions and is currently in a “giveaway” mood and “unplanned expenditure” as it attempts to change its fate.
To this end, he said, “To suggest that they will be back in government after being so inept, so corrupt is a stretch we don’t agree with…to think that they will get back in is obviously a belief that we don’t hold to.”
He believes that the PPP will lose although the APNU and AFC are to contest the elections separately.
So far, the Executive Committee of the AFC has not decided who will run alongside Hughes as the party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate.
In a separate statement, the APNU said it was formally notified of the AFC’s decision to contest the 2025 elections in a written correspondence.
It added, “The PNCR and APNU remain committed to discussing and working with all interested parties in establishing a coalition government to take Guyana forward. As such, should the AFC wish to re-engage APNU in coalition talks or in any joint endeavour, we stand willing and ready.”
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