GUYANA | WPA Calls for APNU-AFC Unity to Challenge PPP/C Rule

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, April 2, 2025 - As preparations for Guyana's national and regional elections move into high gear, the Working People's Alliance (WPA) has issued an urgent call for opposition forces to unite before time runs out.

As electoral tensions mount, the WPA is pressing its "sister parties" – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) – to swiftly finalize a coalition agreement that would present a united front in the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

"As the PPP's vulnerability begins to manifest itself, the WPA reiterates its belief that a grand coalition of opposition parties stands the best chance of unseating the ruling cabal in a free and fair election," declared WPA Co-Leader Dr. David Hinds in a statement that underscores the growing sense that the window for political consolidation is rapidly closing.

The clarion call comes at a critical juncture, with APNU and AFC having already missed their self-imposed March deadline for reaching an agreement. Despite a meeting between the two parties on Monday ending without consensus, leaders from both camps maintain that coalition possibilities remain alive – if increasingly complicated by competing demands.

Dr. Hinds, a respected political scientist who has consistently advocated for opposition unity, warned that history would judge harshly those who allow "short term differences to blind us to long term implications." His plea for consensus over confrontation reflects growing anxiety within opposition circles that internal squabbles could hand the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) another electoral victory by default.

At the heart of the stalled negotiations lies a fundamental disagreement over power-sharing arrangements. The AFC, led by Nigel Hughes, is reportedly demanding both the presidential candidacy and a substantial 40% share of government positions, with APNU receiving the remaining 60%.

APNU, under the leadership of Aubrey Norton, who also heads the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR), favors a 70-30 distribution that would grant APNU the lion's share of positions.

The WPA acknowledges that multiple factors influence these negotiations, including each party's political strength, financial resources, and expertise.

Dr. Hinds pointedly noted the complex arithmetic of coalition building: "As far as the APNU side is concerned, it must be taken into consideration that the APNU side includes the PNC, other parties within the APNU, and for now the WPA that is outside of the APNU, and so, therefore, you are talking about one party being given 40% of the spoils while several other parties are being given 60%."

On the contentious question of presidential candidacy, Dr. Hinds struck a diplomatic tone, indicating that the WPA could support either Norton or Hughes for the top position.

However, he introduced an intriguing wrinkle to the negotiations by suggesting that the Representative of the List – a position with significant procedural power – should come from outside the coalition parties altogether.

The WPA's intervention reflects growing recognition that a fragmented opposition plays directly into the hands of the incumbent PPP/C government. Dr. Hinds emphasized that a united opposition front would "energize the Opposition's base" at a time when strategic cohesion could prove decisive.

As the political clock ticks down toward elections, all eyes remain on whether opposition leaders can set aside their differences in service of their shared goal – or whether personal ambitions and organizational interests will ultimately derail what the WPA sees as their best chance to challenge the ruling party's grip on power.

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