All or nothing: APNU-AFC coalition deal hinges on single sticking point – PNCR

Executive member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) Ganesh Mahipaul on Friday emphasised that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) partnerships negotiations are all or nothing, stating there will be no agreement unless the PNC/R secures its position on a single pivotal issue.
Responding to questions during the PNC/R’s weekly virtual press conference, Mahipaul confirmed that the outlook continues to be bleak, establishing that no matter how much ground the talks gain, it will all be in vain unless the PNC/R gets its way.
“Nothing is agreed until all is agreed. So even if we have 999 things agreed upon and one isn’t agreed on, nothing is agreed,” Mahipaul outlined.
Although Mahipaul did not explicitly state what the deciding condition is, he did signal that it concerns the coalition’s presidential candidate, as he reaffirmed the PNC/R’s position that only its leader, Aubrey Norton, can be the presidential candidate or can select who the candidate will be.
“The PNCR and the APNU reposed the confidence in Aubrey Compton Norton as the presidential candidate and if there is any change from that it is Mr Norton who would have to make that change so the party and the APNU partnership repose that confidence in him and that’s because we feel very confident that he possesses what is necessary to take us over the line,” Mahipaul affirmed.
Both the PNCR, which is the biggest member of the APNU Coalition, and the AFC have been silent on the way forward with coalition negotiations since a previous agreement deadline expired on March 31. Since the deadline expired, the two sides have put no timeline cap on further discussions.
“There isn’t any focus necessarily on a direct timeline,” Mahipaul said.
Despite months of negotiations, the choice of presidential candidate for any resulting coalition remains at the forefront of the stalemate between the two sides. The PNC/R has explicitly maintained that it will not budge from its stance that Norton be the presidential candidate.
In a statement in March, the AFC released its terms calling for their Leader Nigel Hughes to be the presidential candidate. The AFC also demanded a 40-60 power split of positions in APNU’s favour, and that the presidential candidate’s party should not hold the Leader of the List position, which controls parliamentary appointments and removal. On Friday, Mahipaul would only say that the PNCR has responded to the AFC’s demands.
“Yes we have responded and our communication between the AFC and ourselves. We are having lots of communications so to speak, but it remains confidential it’s a process,” Mahipaul noted.
Guyana Times understands that the PNC has rejected this proposal pointing out that the presidential candidate must be from the PNC.
The AFC and APNU first joined forces in 2015 under the Cummingsburg Accord, revised in 2019 with fewer concessions for the AFC before expiring in December 2022. The coalition won the 2015 elections but lost power after a no-confidence motion in 2018.
Originally, the AFC held a 40 per cent stake in the coalition, which was reduced to 30 per cent in the 2019 revision. The party’s declining influence was reflected in its poor performance in the 2018 local Government elections and its perceived role in the no-confidence motion’s passage. Following their 2020 election loss, the APNU/AFC alliance officially ended in December 2022 when the Accord was not renewed.
On March 31 it was reported that despite months of negotiations, APNU and the AFC remain deadlocked over the terms of a coalition for the 2025 elections, with the choice of presidential candidate for a Coalition Government remaining at the forefront of the stalemate.
The two parties, which previously coalesced for the 2015 and 2020 elections, had set a March 31 deadline to finalise an agreement. However, as the deadline passed, disagreements persisted. Though both sides attempted to present an optimistic outlook, statements and comments from members of either side continue to suggest little progress toward a mutual agreement.
Just days before the March 31 meeting of the two parties, PNC/R Leader Aubrey Norton, whose party is the largest faction in APNU, made it clear that the PNC/R would not accept what he described as disrespect or external dictates given that the PNC/R carries “the burden of the work”. Delivering remarks at the PNC/R General Council Norton told the gathering of PNC/R members that: “We ain’t going to let nobody take their eyes pass we. I want to make this commitment to you that this party will not allow anybody to ride on our backs. We are prepared to engage and be reasonable but we are not prepared to bend over backwards.”