General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday opined that the Alliance For Change (AFC) is clinging to the People’s National Congress (PNC) to maintain some level of support at the upcoming elections.
Jagdeo commented on ongoing coalition talks between AFC and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), of which the PNC is the major constituent, during his weekly press conference.
According to him, both opposition parties are aware of their dwindling support.
“These two parties are on life support themselves, especially the AFC. I think this is an attempt to cling on to the PNC to get some modicum of support at the next polls,” Jagdeo said at Freedom House, the PPP’s Headquarters.
Because of this, Jagdeo contended that the parties are mulling a coalition ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections.
But what really is happening?
The AFC and APNU are exploring possibly joining forces again.
‘Trust, confidentiality’ crucial as APNU + AFC partnership barely hanging on – Hughes
Both parties have appointed negotiators for talks slated to end by March 31. Earlier this week though, AFC party leader Nigel Hughes said the partnership is on “life support.”
The two parties formed a coalition a decade ago. Together, they contested the 2015 General and Regional elections and won. They again contested the 2020 elections together but the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) was elected to government.
In the aftermath of those elections, the AFC did not renew the coalition pact though APNU and AFC parliamentarians remain together in the National Assembly and the majority opposition.
Jagdeo also posited that there are interesting developments regarding the selection of a presidential candidate, should the parties coalesce again.
The General Secretary believes that Mr. Hughes is trying to “maneuver” and position himself as the choice candidate for this role. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader, who also heads APNU, Aubrey Norton insists that he should be the presidential candidate.
At a press conference this week, Hughes affirmed that it is not automatic that the APNU leader will be the presidential candidate in a possible coalition as was the case in the past.
“Assuming it gets out of life support and gets back on its feet, there has to be a mechanism and a process for identifying leadership.
“For us, that process has to be driven by scientific means and polls and other mechanisms,” Hughes said.
