Small parties in APNU overthrow PNCR and Norton

Vincent Henry, the leader of the Guyana Action Party, was Friday elected the new Chairman of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition.

Henry confirmed his election on Saturday during a telephone interview with the News Room. He also confirmed that Tabitha Sarabo- Halley of the Guyana Nation Builders Party is the coalition’s new General Secretary.

Both the Guyana Action Party and the Guyana Nation Builders Party are part of the APNU coalition; other parties in the coalition are the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), the National Front Alliance and the Equal Rights and Justice Party.

The PNCR is the major constituent of the coalition but the party’s leader, Aubrey Norton, was absent from the meeting. In a statement, however, the PNCR said the election was “unauthorised, null and void.”

“The PNCR, which is the Chairman of the APNU, and who at present is Mr. Aubrey C. Norton did not send out any notice for the APNU meeting nor elections.

“What purports to be an APNU election is unauthorised and null and void. As is well known, the APNU has no General Secretary since none was elected after the resignation of Mr Joe Harmon,” the PNCR statement read.

Henry believes the election was properly held.

Henry said the members still went ahead with the meeting and election since it has been some time since their last meeting was held and the parties felt as though there should be an engagement with the 2025 General and Regional Elections on the horizon.

“I am not sure why the leader of the PNC was absent but what I do know was that emails were sent to all the leaders of the APNU coalition and reminders were sent,” Henry explained.

Henry will hold the position for six months and highlighted that it is possible for the PNCR to get the chairmanship again. He believes, however, it is good that a smaller party is assuming the leadership role.

“The PNCR leader wasn’t there and we decided to have elections and the reason we had elections was because we decided a long time ago to have some sort of rotation with APNU.

“It wasn’t a case that we wanted to get rid of the leader of the PNC. It was something that we were knocking on the door for sometime,” Henry said.