The Working People’s Alliance has agreed with the People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) position that a clear criteria should be set for the identification of a Presidential Candidate should parties in the opposition agree to form a coalition to contest the 2025 Elections. 

PNCR – the largest opposition party in the country – is in talks with other parties, including the WPA about the possibility of contesting the 2025 General and Regional Elections as a grand coalition. 

In addressing the issue at a press conference on Monday, WPA Co-Leader, Dr. David Hinds said the parties must first hammer out an agreement, and policies that would guide such a Coalition once in government.

He said those issues should include the mode of governance as well as mechanisms for decision making, before arriving at a consensus Presidential Candidate. 

“The WPA feels that should come after discussion and consensus among the parties involved. We in the WPA does not have a candidate to put forward so we are not burdened with that stress but we do have an interest in who becomes the consensus candidate. And so, we agree with the PNC that there should be clear guidelines as to how we arrive at a consensus candidate,” the WPA co-leader said.

Dr Hinds told reporters that the WPA has not given much thought to a candidate coming from outside of the political parties, but he said it would not object to such a proposal.

Last week, the WPA met with the PNCR. Dr Hinds said while the WPA in support of a grand coalition, it will not return to the APNU unless a number of issues are resolved. He said as it is, APNU appears to be in turmoil. 

“First of all, the APNU seems to be in some turmoil. There was what we saw as an attempt to remove the PNC from leadership of the APNU by other parties. We don’t know if they have sorted out their issues. We would not want to go into an APNU that is in that state,” Dr Hinds said.

He said whether in APNU or in a larger opposition coalition, it is important for the WPA to maintain its political identity, and have a say in the decision-making process. 

He said under the APNU+AFC Government, the WPA was often left in the dark on a number of important issues.

“One, was that our identity was smothered. If someone can convince us that we can go back into the APNU and our identity would not be smothered then we are willing to listen to that. Secondly, we had the situation, where the leadership of the APNU, making decisions for us without consulting us. We had the situation for example with the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, the APNU+AFC Government decided to halt that inquiry and within the APNU, nobody consulted us, the most interested party. There was no consultation with us on that,” the WPA co-leader explained. 

Dr Hinds said the WPA looks forward to meeting with the PNCR again with the aim of finding solutions to the many issues that plague the APNU+AFC coalition.

The WPA said it is also open to talks with the AFC. 

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