GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Alliance For Change (AFC) on Friday signaled its intention to enter into negotiations with the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)- dominated coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in a bid to contest the elections as a coalition.
“Even now, our door remains open, ready to listen, ready to engage, but we will not return to a coalition model where imbalance is the norm and accountability is optional,” said AFC leader Nigel Hughes.
In April, the AFC announced that it would contest the September 1, 2025, regional and general elections alone but left open the possibility of some form of accommodation before the July 14 Nominations Day, as announced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
The AFC and APNU had first joined forces in 2015 under the Cummingsburg Accord, revised in 2019 with fewer concessions for the AFC before expiring in December 2022. The coalition won the 2015 elections but lost power after a no-confidence motion in 2018.
Initially, the AFC held a 40 percent stake in the coalition, which was reduced to 30 percent in the 2019 revision. Following their 2020 election loss, the APNU/AFC alliance officially ended in December 2022.
Hughes told a news conference that the proposals initially submitted to APNU were not based on personalities but rather on fairness, respect, and clean governance.
He said that in its latest proposal, the AFC had accepted the nominee of the APNU for Presidential Candidate, which he noted was a significant step forward in the compromise.
Hughes said the AFC had also proposed that the leader of the list be someone who can find common ground between both sides and that the APNU never responded to that proposal.
“To date, no counter proposal was made, and there was no engagement on the content that we submitted, no real discussion on ideas; that is the simple truth. Let me be clear: this is not about one individual. It is about creating a better kind of politics,” Hughes told reporters.
He said the AFC, which had contested the last regional and general election here as part of the coalition APNU+AFC, has been putting in the work to ensure that there is unity not only among its ranks but on the broader coalition should it materialize.
“The AFC believes that coalition politics can work but only when it is built on trust and balance, not dominance or silence. We did not come to the table with demands. We came with a proposal; we did not ask for all; we asked for what was fair; we did not insist on positions; we insisted on principles.”
Hughes said that the AFC is ready to sit again at the negotiating table with the APNU.
“Even now, our door remains open, ready to listen, ready to engage, but we will not return to a coalition model where imbalance is the norm and accountability is optional,” Hughes said.
The AFC Leader said he hopes that both parties can realize that the end goal is to form an earlier coalition. Earlier on Friday, PNC executive member Ganesh Mahipaul, who formed part of the APNU’s negotiating team, told a news conference that his party is committed to coalition politics and is ready to re-engage with the AFC.
“My party, the People’s National Congress Reform, which is the largest stakeholder in the APNU+AFC coalition, has not shut the doors on negotiations. I am still optimistic that we can find common ground, but what I am certain about is the presidential candidate will be Aubrey Compton Norton from the People’s National Congress Reform. I firmly believe that he will be the next President of Guyana,” Mahipaul said.
Mahipaul acknowledged that at this stage, anything is possible.
“What I know is there is a deadline that GECOM has for the submission of symbols, and after that deadline for the submission of symbols, there is also a deadline for nominations, and that is the period I think we have…
“And what I have learned over the years is what is far from achieving can be achieved with just the click of a figure. So, it may look like it’s in the distance right now, but as soon as I come off this press conference, it can be achieved. Let’s wait and see how that goes.
“The date for submission of the symbol is important, and the date for nomination is equally important in knowing whether it will be an APNU+AFC or whether it will be APNU,” he said, adding that in the interim, the APNU is in talks with other opposition political parties and individuals, and the responses have been overwhelming.
He has promised that the APNU will be making some critical announcements soon.
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