Granger, Ramjattan meet on new Coalition accord; AFC agrees to resume talks with APNU

The Alliance For Change (AFC) has agreed to resume talks with the multi-party bloc APNU following a meeting between the party leaders on Thursday.

Talks on an enhanced coalition accord between APNU and the AFC were stalled over the selection of a Prime Ministerial Candidate for the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

The AFC, which, according to the current accord, is responsible for the selection of the Prime Ministerial Candidate, has selected its Leader Khemraj Ramjattan to run for the post.

President David Granger –leader of the APNU –and Ramjattan who is currently acting as Prime Minister, met at State House at 11:00hrs on  Thursday.

They were accompanied by Minister of Public Health and Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Volda Lawrence and AFC General Secretary, David Patterson.

Ramjattan left the venue without offering any comment.

Following the meeting which lasted for one hour, Lawrence told the media that “the meeting was very good.”

Lawrence who is on the APNU team for the revision of the Accord said “we had some bumps in the road and so we came to the two ‘papa’, the two leaders, and we have been able to have had a very good meeting with them and they’ve sent us back to do the task that they’ve given to us.”

Patterson said “progress has been made” but refused to answer questions about direct engagements on the Prime Ministerial Candidate.

“Both sides have some work to and we have agreed we will do the work as soon as possible,” he added.

The AFC had said it will not continue engagements unless it gets the APNU’s support for Ramjattan as the Coalition PM candidate.

Pressed on whether this was dealt with, Patterson said “progress has been made…progress as defined by the Webster Dictionary…that you have moved forward,” but he refused to give any further comment.

Asked whether the coalition will remain as one, Lawrence said “we’ll always be one, never severed,” as she climbed into her vehicle and departed State House, Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

President Granger recently stated that a Prime Ministerial Candidate can come from any one of the six parties which make up the coalition.

The AFC on August 12 announced that the coalition partners are reviewing the accord which brought them together before the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

The process was expected to be completed by September 09 but due to disagreements, this was not possible.