The Alliance For Change (AFC) Thursday hinted strongly at the possibility of leaving the coalition with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), after talks regarding their prime ministerial candidate reached a stalemate.
The AFC has made it clear that their Leader Khemraj Ramjattan should be the prime ministerial candidate.
However, their partner, the APNU, prefers someone else as President David Granger’s running mate.
Both parties were in talks over the revision of the Cummingsburg Accord including the selection of a prime ministerial candidate.
However, those talks have since been stalled owing to both sides refusing to budge on their positions.
“We don’t accept that any other party should tell us or dictate to us who we should chose as our prime ministerial candidate. Why should we go back to our membership to say let’s have another discussion…on what basis?” Dominic Gaskin contended during a press conference today.
“The AFC should name the prime ministerial candidate and the APNU should name the presidential candidate…It’s nonnegotiable for us,” Gaskin posited.
Moreover, party executives gave strong hints about the possibility of leaving the coalition if Ramjattan is not accepted at the prime ministerial candidate.
“We are the alliance for change and I think we have always said that we are here to form alliances for the benefit of Guyana. So, we have no inherent opposition to forming alliances with anyone,” Gaskin said.
When asked if this includes forming an alliance with the opposition, the Peoples Progressive Party, Gaskin said “it is highly unlikely” but noted that “anything is possible”.
Meanwhile, AFC Executive Cathy Hughes posited that “it is not a coincidence that alliance is in our name”.
