AFC bows to reduced role to secure Coalition with APNU

The Alliance for Change (AFC) Friday confirmed that it had to accept less Parliamentary seats to secure a new Coalition accord with the A Partnership  for National Unity (APNU), but leader Khemraj Ramjattan said while it is a “come down” he does not feel weakened.

“I was not bullied nor did I bully,” he told reporters at the Party’s Railway Embankment office on Friday during a press conference.

It is now left for AFC to sign the accord with the multi-party bloc APNU and launch a joint campaign to contest the March 02, 2020 general and regional elections.

In the agreement, AFC will get the position of Prime Minister and four Cabinet posts. For the National Assembly, the position is a 30/70 one, which means 10 Parliamentary seats as opposed to 12 in the first accord.

“We are happy,” Ramjattan stated, adding that the party decided to accept a reduced role in a new Coalition government because “an agreement had to be reached,” with the party choosing to join with APNU again instead of going it alone.