Guyana’s President Says Coalition To Remain Intact For Upcoming General Election

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, November 5, 2019 (CMC) – President David Granger has sought to assure the public that the ruling coalition, between the APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) and the AFC (Alliance for Change), will head into the upcoming general election as one.

Speaking on a local radio program, last Friday, Granger said he is confident that the coalition will remain, as the country prepares for the March 2020 general election. 

“The coalition is greater than the sum of its parties. It’s not just six parties, we have a political mechanism, which has given the people of Guyana hope that we are getting away from one-party politics,” the President said.

According to Granger, issues that may pop up during the renegotiation of the Cummingsburg Accord — the agreement that formed the APNU+AFC coalition — will be overcome.

Granger disclosed that he had met and held discussions with AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, and several issues were brought to the fore. The AFC has been pushing for its leader to be the coalition’s Prime Ministerial Candidate. 

But the President has insisted that the policies and programs for the coalition take centre stage, before they start to examine issues of personalities. He also dismissed the possibility of APNU going it alone into the next elections, pointing out that “even if it was possible, it is not desirable”.

The negotiating sides for APNU and AFC were expected to meet, last weekend, to restart their negotiations of the Cummingsburg Accord.