Alliance For Change (AFC) Presidential candidate Nigel Hughes on Saturday signalled the party’s strategy to push the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic into a minority Government following the September 1 General and Regional Elections – something that the PPP’s General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo has already declared would not happen.
Hughes shared the stage with Simona Broomes, Presidential candidate of the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), during the AFC’s public meeting at West Ruimveldt Front Road, Georgetown.
Addressing the small gathering of supporters, Hughes stated that the AFC is taking all necessary steps to position the PPP/C for a potential minority Government outcome.
“We are heading to a minority Government, so we have to strategise from now,” Hughes said, acknowledging the party’s intent to influence governance through strategic positioning in the National Assembly.
However, Hughes also admitted he feared a PPP/C-led minority Government would come with “significant risks” to the opposition parties that might have a majority in the National Assembly.
“If you go back in with a minority Government that has all the executive power, this country will be worse off,” he claimed.
Hughes’ remarks lend credence to concerns expressed by PPP’s General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, over the past several weeks – something he reiterated just Saturday night at his party’s massive rally held at Anna Regina, Region Two.
Jagdeo warned of what he described as a covert plan among the opposition parties, including several smaller newly-formed political parties, to recreate the political instability of 2011, when the PPP/C held a minority Government and faced repeated legislative blockages by the combined opposition of APNU and the AFC.
With the PNC-led APNU and AFC no longer holding credibility to make promises to the electorate after failing to deliver during their 2015 to 2020 term in office, Jagdeo says they have now turned to the small parties like We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), led by US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, to ensure the PPP/C fails to secure a parliamentary majority.
“They have a deal with Azruddin Mohamed. You saw the evidence of them working together… The PNC and AFC people are going with him because they’re hoping that he will be able to split the PPP’s support, but they are dreaming… That’s not gonna happen. They want us to go back to 2011…when they had the majority in parliament and the country was at a standstill,” Jagdeo declared on Saturday.
Broomes had formed her own political party after breaking ties with the PNC. Her presence at the AFC’s meeting on Saturday lends confirmation to the PPP’s suspicions.
Nevertheless, at the AFC’s meeting, Broomes delivered a message of unity and perseverance, emphasising that her party’s mission transcends political rivalry.
“Regardless of the odds, regardless of what people feel, we are here with one mission,” Broomes said. She also extended well wishes to Hughes and his prime ministerial running mate, Laura George.
George, in her first public appearance since being named PM candidate, outlined her personal and professional background, framing her credentials for national leadership.
Other speakers at the public meeting included Region 10 Member of Parliament Devin Sears, former Georgetown City Councillor Ayodele Roach, and Attorney Kiswanna Jefford.
Sears dismissed speculation surrounding the party’s relevance. “Everybody is talking about the AFC being dead; the AFC can’t stand up, but the AFC is alive and breathing. We want the best for our young people in this country,” he declared.
Jefford echoed that sentiment, calling on voters to support a new wave of leadership. “Now is the time to effect some change for Guyana. Elect the AFC, vote for the key to change, and vote for leaders who will take Guyana forward,” she urged. “The candidates of the AFC have effected change by deeds and words.”
Hughes concluded his address with a call for national dialogue on oil wealth distribution and constitutional reform, positioning the AFC as both revived and ready for governance. “The AFC has redefined itself,” he said.
Hughes had sparked a contentious debate, exacerbated by legal and procedural challenges that had significantly delayed the country’s electoral process, after the December 2018 no-confidence motion passed in the National Assembly against the David Granger Administration.
He has posited that 34 is the majority of a 65-member House, rather than 33.
The aftermath of the motion as a result of this argument had been marked by legal challenges, appeals, and judicial decisions that extended beyond the constitutionally-mandated three-month deadline for the calling of an election.
In June 2019, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) handed down its decision that 33, not 34, was the majority of the 65-member House.
During the 2020 elections, the AFC was a member of the then APNU/AFC coalition Government, which faced massive accusations of blatant attempts to undermine the electoral process.
For five months following the March 2 elections, the APNU/AFC Coalition employed various delay tactics, including filing multiple court cases to stall the official declaration of results, which were ultimately confirmed through a CARICOM-led national recount.
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