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PNCR executive showdown today
…calls for Norton to step down to take centre stage
Kaieteur News – The Central Executive Committee of the PNCR is expected to meet today – one month after that party’s crushing defeat at the general and regional elections. And insiders said that executives are bracing for a fiery meeting amid mounting calls for Party Leader, Aubrey Norton to resign.
Norton has thus far signaled that he wants to remain leader of the party to help rebuild it, but a senior party official told Kaieteur News that executives are expected to call on him to step aside immediately. In the aftermath of the party’s loss at the polls, Norton decided he would not return to Parliament- instead appointing Dr. Terrence Campbell to lead the party’s 12 – MPs.
Aubrey Norton led his party-PNCR to its worst elections defeat in September
At a news conference on September 12, 2025, Norton was asked whether he would be contesting for the position of leader at the PNCR’s next congress to which he replied: “the PNC will determine what will happens at the next Congress.” He however said that he would not be leading the PNCR into the next elections. “I will preside over the party and ensure that I put the mechanisms in place so that by the time we arrive at the next elections, we are well-structured, we will be ready and the new blood in the party will take over the party. I hope that is an indication that I have no intention of running for the presidency in the future,” he said.
Several persons including former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan have also called on Norton to resign from the leadership of the party. During an appearance on KAMS TV’s Guyana Morning Time last month, Jordan commended Norton’s efforts but said he must take responsibility for the outcome. “Aubrey, you did the hard work… It was needed. The under pushing was needed…you did the hard work, you took a lot of flock for it and signs of rebirth were seen in the rallies and so on [but] people didn’t turn up for the elections, again I said this was a setback,” Jordan said. “However, we look at it, the party has been brought to its lowest ebb and you were at the helm when the party was brought to its lowest ebb,” Jordan.
He said that when the dust is settled and the swearing in is completed; Norton should make way for new talent to come forward and lead the party. He said in the interest of this pursuit, Norton should decide off his own not to return to parliament. Jordan had suggested that APNU’s parliamentary leadership be entrusted to Nima Flue-Bess or Vinceroy Jordan. “Aubrey, you can remain leader of the list, until Congress next year, where you must commit not to run for leadership. Let this be early in your introspection over the next few days, that you will not be running for leadership again, come next year. So that other talent can begin to formalise their running and so on into the Congress,” he said. Jordan added that Norton should transition into an elder role, giving advice without overshadowing new leadership. “Don’t go back into parliament and don’t contest next year’s leadership, let this thing flow through and be part of the molding and so on…” Jordan stated.
Another senior party official speaking under condition of anonymity told Kaieteur News that before 2025, the PNC’s worst electoral performance was in 2006 under Robert Corbin. However, the official said despite the poor performance, the PNC managed twenty-two seats in parliament and secured victories in Regions Four and Ten, while maintaining regional seats in all ten Regional Democratic Councils. “The party also had parliamentary seats in all but one Region – Region Nine,” the party official explained. “Corbin then selected a formidable team of parliamentarians. Aubrey Norton was one of the twenty-two persons in that lineup. Corbin got into action immediately after the election was over. His executive met, his regional and parliamentary representatives were identified and engaged. The party went to work. Norton, who benefited over his five decades in politics in the PNC from the clinical political precision of Mr. Burnham, the strong diplomatic maneuverings of Mr. Hoyte, the pure electoral genius of Mr. Corbin and the sleek operations of Mr. Granger appears to have learnt nothing from these great men,” the official said. “Styled a “political strategist” and “political scientist” Norton ensured that he did not leave Corbin lonely. Norton led the PNC to its worst electoral defeat in its entire history and became the party’s second leader to fail in his bid for the presidency. Norton’s leadership yielded only twelve seats in the parliament, no seats on the RDCs of Regions One and Nine. Norton is the first leader of the PNC to lose every single region in the country,” the official noted.
Media shy
The senior official also said that one month after the elections, Norton appears to be hiding from the media. “He chose instead to appear on one or two selected friendly podcasts while refusing to convene his party’s weekly press conferences. From reports, Norton sat in his office and single handedly selected all regional councillors and all but one parliamentarian. That one parliamentarian was insisted upon by his deputy representative of the list,” the official told Kaieteur News.
The PNCR-led APNU managed to secure only one seat each in Regions 2, 7, and 8, while failing to obtain any seats in Regions 1 and 9, two prominent hinterland areas where it previously held considerable support. In Region 1, APNU collected a mere 344 votes, which translated to zero seats, a drastic fall from the 3,843 votes and five seats secured in the 2020 elections. Similarly, in Region 9, the party attracted only 430 votes, also yielding no seats, compared to 4,824 votes and six seats just five years prior. In Regions 2, 7, and 8, the party scraped together only single-digit seats, one seat in each region. In Region 2, APNU received 1,791 votes; in Region 7, 980 votes; and in Region 8, only 253 votes.
These figures represent a significant decline compared to the 2020 elections, when the party secured 7,290 votes and five seats in Region 2; 4,839 votes and eight seats in Region 7, and 2,091 votes with seven seats in Region 8. These figures also reflect a significant downturn from the 2020 regional election results where APNU held five seats in Region 2 (with 7,290 votes), eight seats in Region 7 (4,839 votes), and seven seats in Region 8 (2,091 votes). Meanwhile, other regions, APNU still managed to maintain some presence. The party secured four seats in Region 3 with 8,907 votes; nine seats in Region 4 with 46,770 votes; four seats in Region 5 with 6,440 votes; three seats in Region 6 with 6,251 votes; and five seats in Region 10 with 5,370 votes. In total, the PNCR-led APNU 77, 998 votes at the General and Regional Elections behind newcomer WIN – 109, 066 and the PPP/C 242,498. AFC received 3610, ALP 969 and FGM 4326.
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Norton is one of Exxon’s lynchpin and associate who has been bought out by big oil money. This is the reason he immediately turned over parliamentary issues to Campbell. He knows that he cannot vote against the Exxon cabal or he will face consequences.