ANUG names Althia King as new Joinder List parliamentarian

– to replace Dr Asha Kissoon

In keeping with the Joinder List agreement, A New and United Guyana (ANUG) has identified its representative to take up a seat in the National Assembly for the remainder of the 12th Parliament.
ANUG along with the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and The New Movement (TNM) had entered into a Joinder party arrangement during the March 2020 Elections, which saw them winning a single seat in the 65-seat National Assembly. Both LJP and TNM have already served their term in the National Assembly.
In a recent statement, ANUG named Althia King as its elected Member of Parliament (MP).

According to the party, King was born in Georgetown and spent her formative years residing in Monkey Mountain Village, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) before relocating to Georgetown to attend Stella Maris Primary School. She received her secondary education at St Rose’s High School, graduating in 2007.
After a compact study in Sales and Marketing with the American Management Association, King pursued studies in General Psychology acquiring a Diploma from the American University of Peace Studies with a distinction. She is also proficient in Portuguese, acquiring certification in Portuguese from the Embassy of Brazil in 2012.
The party said King is determined to make her contribution to psychological methodology and counselling for her Guyanese people, regardless of their economic or social status.
“Experiencing the past and current political roller coaster rides between the two Guyanese Ethno-centric political parties, that pre-eminently dominate Guyana’s political landscape, Ms King resolutely advocates the continued need for a viable third political party to break the winner-take-all stranglehold of the two-party system, and to create a system of transparency and accountability. She has demonstrated her commitment by proactively leading from the front,” ANUG stated.

Being an active ANUG member since 2019, King participated in the run-up to the 2020 General Elections as well as in the recount process.
According to the political party, “She has served on the Executive Board of A New and United Guyana for four consecutive years, engaging in humanitarian projects for youths, outreaches, and other activities across various regions in Guyana. She is people-centric and result-oriented, being equally effective working autonomously in a leadership position or as part of a group effort.”
King will be replacing Dr Asha Kissoon, the leader of TNM, in the National Assembly. Guyana Times understands that the transition has already started and Dr Kissoon has even tendered her resignation as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. However, her resignation will take effect from February 2024.
The TNM Leader was sworn in as a Member of Parliament in April 2023 and was subsequently elected Deputy Speaker. She replaced LJP Leader Lenox Shuman, who served as both Opposition MP and Deputy Speaker for over two years.
At the March 2020 elections, the number of votes secured by the three joinder parties was: 2657 by LJP – the most votes secured; while ANUG and TNM obtained 2313 and 244 votes respectively.
Based on the joinder agreement, each party would occupy the shared seat for a specific period. The stipulated duration of the terms by each party are two years, six months, and 20 days for the LJP; while ANUG would serve for two years five months, and TNM for 80 days. The three parties had previously committed to acting as a broker between the Government and the main Opposition.
Now that ANUG has identified its representative to take up the MP position, the Joinder Parties – as a collective – will have to write the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to formally request that King’s name be extracted from the list of candidates so that she can replace Dr Kissoon as a parliamentarian.
The process for replacing an MP involves the National Assembly writing to the head of the party list to whom the seat belongs, once its occupant has submitted a formal resignation. The head of the list is tasked with informing GECOM which party candidate name to extract and submit to the National Assembly.