AFC members could serve under Norton-led APNU Govt – Hughes

– Norton says there is scope to work together

With both the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) deciding to contest the upcoming general elections independently after a breakdown of negotiations for a coalition, AFC Leader Nigel Hughes has stated that his party is willing to consider serving under an APNU regime led by Aubrey Norton.
“If, as a matter of eventuality, Mr Norton becomes the president and he has a view that the Alliance For Change could participate in a Government post-election, the Alliance For Change is certainly going to consider that. And we certainly would not stand in the way of any member, if invited by Mr Norton, to be part of his Government,” Hughes told reporters at the AFC’s weekly press conference on Friday.

Talks between the two former coalition partners had become tenuous before finally collapsing last week. The APNU and AFC had coalesced to contest the 2015 elections, which they won but failed to secure a second term at the 2020 polls.
Efforts have been made over the last few months to revive the coalition ahead of the upcoming elections on September 1; however, these talks did not yield any progress towards an alliance.
Initially, there was a proposal for a 35-65 governance sharing ratio, that is, 35 per cent for AFC and 65 per cent for APNU.
Last month, however, the AFC proposed a ratio of 65-35 – 65 per cent for itself – to be applied across the board, which was rejected by APNU. The Norton-led party had then countered with a 70-30 proposal.
But in what is being described as a last-ditch effort to salvage the coalition talks, the AFC on June 16 submitted a revised proposal to APNU through an intermediary.
This new proposal included a 65-35 ratio to be applied across the board, that is, 65 per cent for APNU and 35 per cent for AFC. It also proposed that AFC select the prime ministerial candidate while APNU picks the presidential candidate. The AFC proposal also included that the Representative of the List be an independent nominee acceptable to both parties and that the Speaker of the National Assembly be nominated by the AFC but acceptable to APNU.
However, APNU rejected the AFC’s latest proposal. According to the AFC, this action demonstrates clearly that APNU was and is not interested in a coalition.
The AFC’s position came when news broke, days after its final proposal, that its Member of Parliament, Juretha Fernandes, has been named as the APNU Prime Ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections – a move that blindsided the AFC. The party has since cancelled the membership of Fernandes along with two other MPs, Sherod Duncan and Deonarine (Ricky) Ramsaroop – all former AFC executives who have now aligned themselves with APNU and committed to being on that party’s lists of candidates.

Scope to work together
Since then, the two parties have submitted their respective symbols to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), definitively signalling their intentions to contest the upcoming polls independently.
In fact, Norton told reporters at his weekly press conference on Friday that “Once you would have submitted a symbol, you then agree as a political party [to contest alone]… And if you decide that you are going to coalesce [after the fact], you’ll end up in a situation where you’ll have to fall under one of the symbols because no joint symbol for the APNU+AFC was submitted.”
Despite this, however, Norton posited that there is still room for the two parties to work together.
“Now that symbols have been submitted, is there any scope for engagement to probably work together? There is always scope for that … It will be explored, but I don’t know that it was explored.” the APNU leader asserted.
Nevertheless, Norton went on to declare his confidence heading into the upcoming elections.
“With the question of electability, I can say I am more qualified than many who purport to be presidential candidates. Electability, to me, presupposes that you have mass support. I am well aware that the PNC and I have mass support, and so electability is not in question.” he posited.
Meanwhile, Hughes on Friday also dismissed any assertions that his party should sit out the 2025 elections, conveying his confidence as well heading into the upcoming elections solo.
“Our data is encouraging… I’m not going to disclose what our polls have been showing [but] like I said, it’s encouraging.” the AFC Leader contended.