The ongoing talks between the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) regarding a potential coalition ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections have made some progress, but the critical issue of selecting a presidential candidate remains a significant stumbling block.
Sunday Stabroek News reported that sources close to the negotiations have indicated that while both parties have made strides in resolving other matters, the choice of a presidential candidate is still very much the “elephant in the room.” With the March 31st deadline fast approaching, both sides remain optimistic about reaching an agreement, though tensions surrounding leadership persist.
Dealing with the issue of who will be the presidential candidate is the elephant in the room, so what we are doing is trying to work out other factors and will come to that… because as is, there is no change,” one source told Stabroek News.
“We remain optimistic because if both sides want what is best for the country they will both make sacrifices.”
The negotiations have been described as tense and sensitive, with one source elaborating that “when you have tense, sensitive, situations like this, you don’t just go for the jugular. You pat heads and try to soften the talks and get other concerns out of the way.”
AFC’s political advisor, Jamaican Alston Stewart- businessman and activist of the Opposition, People’s National Party (PNP)- continues to lead the negotiations, while PNCR leader Aubrey Norton remains firm in his position, stating that he will be the presidential candidate for any coalition formed.
However, this stance has not been well received by the AFC. In January, AFC’s presidential candidate, Nigel Hughes, was adamant that Norton’s leadership was not in line with the party’s vision for the coalition. Hughes stated, “Absolutely not, the short answer to that is no. There has to be a clear process for selecting leadership, driven by polls and other criteria. If and when we get there, we will address it.”
Hughes reaffirmed that the AFC was committed to contesting the elections independently if necessary, despite the ongoing talks with the PNCR. This stance highlights the deep divide between the two parties when it comes to leadership selection.
Despite the challenges, both sides have expressed a willingness to continue their negotiations. PNCR leader Aubrey Norton has stated that trust and confidentiality are paramount to the discussions, and he expressed frustration over leaked information that surfaced in the media. He suggested that this leak may have been an attempt by the AFC to derail the talks.
There is also a converse view, the insiders in the PNCR may have been responsible for the leak, given the leadership’s close relationship with Demerara Waves. But according to Norton, the party was proceeding with the negotiation in confidence, and then out of the blue, information arrived in Demerara Waves, alleging that a high-ranking PNCR person gave the online newspaper the information. “This, to me, seems like an attempt to score cheap political points rather than focus on the main goal—removing the PPP from office.”
However, both parties have agreed to advance talks, with the PNCR leader confirming that an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) would be drafted as a precursor to full coalition negotiations.
The AFC’s chairman David Patterson has also made it clear that his party is willing to move forward with the discussions, provided certain conditions are met, including mutual respect for the negotiation process, the setting aside of personal and party preconditions, and a joint political platform.
The coalition talks are taking place against the backdrop of the 2015 alliance, when the PNCR, under the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) umbrella, coalesced with the AFC to successfully defeat the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in the general elections.
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