AFC clinging to PNC to maintain credibility – Jagdeo

Over the past week, it was reported that the People’s National Congress (PNC) led APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC) reached an accord for further discussions towards coalescing.

Commenting on this new development on Thursday, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Bharrat Jagdeo said the AFC is attempting to preserve its credibility by attempting to again coalesce to contest the General and Regional Elections.

“I think this is an attempt to cling onto the PNC so ensure that they maintain some modicum of credibility at the next polls because you cannot deny, as Norton said, that the PNC has more support in this country than the AFC has ever had,” Jagdeo noted.

While the two opposition parties have spoken about combining their efforts ahead of the 2025 polls, the main contention remains the Presidential candidacy with each party selecting their own leaders to head the lists of electors.

Jagdeo on Thursday said while both sides have selected their Presidential Candidate, the AFC is hoping to pressure the PNC into giving up that post.

“As the PPP, we don’t care who their Presidential candidate is because they’re going to lose the elections in any case but it is very interesting to us to see how AFC is trying strong arm its way and to put pressure on Norton to back down from that position,” he told reporters.

Speaking about the agreement, Jagdeo said “this document bears an uncanny resemblance to the Cummingsburg Accord” which was first signed by the two parties to form the APNU+AFC Coalition in 2015.

However, the parties subsequently faced several issues with the AFC voicing concerns about sidelined. The AFC was also unhappy with he allocation of seats and the parties split in opposition.

It’s the “same old playbook” Jagdeo said.