APNU-AFC failed coalition bid: “What we have here is a run for power…not policies to grow Guyana” – Pres Ali

…says PPP has “winning philosophy”

President Dr Irfaan Ali, who will be returning as the presidential candidate on the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) ticket at the September 1, 2025 elections, says that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) Opposition parties are too focused on grabbing power and not concerned about Guyana’s best interest.
The Head of State made these remarks on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday, where he was questioned by reporters about the current fallout between the two main Opposition parties.
Negotiations between APNU and the AFC for a possible coalition formally broke down with both parties announcing that they would contest the elections independently but are still open to talks. Members from the two parties have since publicly expressed their frustration over the situation – something which President Ali was asked about during an interview with reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Head of State, the internal discord between APNU and the AFC is not coalition politics but a bargaining for power.
“So, first of all, what we have here is a run for power,” Ali posited.
“It is clear from all the forces that are working that their only objective is to remove the People’s Progressive Party/Civic from Government, not about policies to grow Guyana, to expand our horizon, to provide jobs and provide opportunity – [that is] their entire purpose. They cannot come up with a cohesive plan, they cannot come up with a structural strategy that would enable development of Guyana.”
It is for this reason that President Ali says many of the Opposition members have been endorsing the PPP/C for a second term in office at the upcoming polls.
Of recent, there has been a mass exodus of Opposition members – from both APNU and the AFC – breaking ranks and joining the PPP/C. According to the Guyanese Leader, this is because of development that they are seeing under the current ruling Administration.
According to Ali, the PPP/C has worked hard over the past five years to not just create the policies and programmes that allow Guyana and its people to prosper but also to become a unifying force that binds citizens together.
“So many persons [are] gravitating to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic because of a philosophy, because of the policies, because of the results they have seen. You see people can compare what they were getting in five years [under the coalition and] what they were supporting… [with] what happened in these five years. And they can make analytical, clear decision as to who has the best interest, as to who was able to move Guyana forward, and they are able to make that comparison, and that is what is driving the energy. And these are people who want to be part of a better Guyana, and we welcome them,” he stated.

National front
On this note, the Head of State was asked about longstanding PPP supporters who may be threatened by this influx of ‘outsiders’ coming to benefit from the spoils without having done any of the work – something which he dismissed.
“I don’t know that this is a widespread view. I know that the PPP philosophy has always been about building a national front building, and bringing people of every class, every race, every religion, together. And the PPP is demonstrating this. And everyone who is a PPP member, everyone who embraces the philosophy of the People’s Progressive Party, is embracing a philosophy that is national in nature, a philosophy that is inclusive in nature, a philosophy that is unifying, a philosophy that puts Guyana first, a philosophy that sees no difference between us. And that is why that philosophy is winning …and that philosophy will continue to win,” the president declared.
Only last week, PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo made it clear that the growing number of persons in the Opposition camp who are endorsing the governing party and President Ali have expressed an interest in working to help develop Guyana.
He rejected claims that these individuals were promised positions when the PPP wins the upcoming elections, noting that even the current Ministers do not know if they would be returning to their offices after the September 1 polls.
“No one who came to us has been offered anything,” Jagdeo explained, noting that unlike the Opposition political parties, the PPP does not spend time discussing ‘positions’ but rather focuses its discourse on policies and strategies that can contribute to the development of the country.
Among those persons who have recently come forward to endorse the PPP are former People’s National Congress (PNC) General Secretary and Opposition parliamentarian Geeta Chandan-Edmond; AFC Regional Councillor Ismail Muhammad-Al-Cush, and Chairman of the Region Seven division of the AFC, David Daniels.

Additionally, Regional Vice Chairman for Region Four and member of the PNC, Samuel Sandy has endorsed the PPP. He joined Executive Member of the PNCR and Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram, who also endorsed President Ali for a second term.
Former PNCR Central Executive member, Dr Richard Van West-Charles said he believed that President Ali was the leader Guyana needed now. Dr Van West-Charles is the son-in-law of former President and founder of the PNC, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.
In April, former PNC member Thandi McAllister also threw her support behind the PPP/C.
In 2023, Lance Smith, former General Secretary of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM), the youth arm of the PNCR, and former Georgetown Mayor and longstanding PNC member, Patricia Chase-Green broke ties with the PNC and joined the PPP/C to contest the Local Government Elections.
Additionally, leaders of smaller parties – The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) – Shaz Ally; The New Movement (TNM), Dr Asha Kissoon, and the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) Lenox Shuman – have also joined the PPP/C ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections.