Out of its just concluded National Conference, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is repositioning itself to become the party of choice for the 2025 Elections, but its leaders have not ruled out the formation of a broad coalition, telling reporters today that the AFC will do whatever is best for Guyana. 

At a press conference this afternoon, AFC Leader, Nigel Hughes said while expanding its base, the AFC intends to engage in widespread consultation to determine the way forward. 

“We are concentrating on building out the Alliance For Change so that not only does it arrive at the strength that it had previously but that it exceeds that, so that we become the force, and that we can on our own compete if we wanted to. However, our primary focus is Guyana, Guyana, Guyana, Guyana, and whatever is in the best interest of this country, we will do. And I have said before, and I will repeat it again, we will reach out to the widest and broadest possible coalition of people in this country, civil society, religious groups, trade unions, private sector commissions, everybody. First of all, to get their views on what they think is essential for the future of the country, but more importantly, to arrive at a broad, acceptable consensual framework for the development of this country. And, that will always guide the way we proceed,” Hughes said. 

With the General and Regional Elections approximately one year away, there have been talks about the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) arriving at a consensus Presidential candidate to contest the 2025 Elections. The Leader of the bigger and older PNCR, Aubrey Norton, has already made it clear that any consensus candidate would have to more than likely come from the PNCR.

But Hughes said at this stage, the issue of a consensus candidate is purely academical, reiterating that the AFC will be guided by the broader society. 

Ahead of the 2015 Elections, the AFC had joined forces with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), for which the PNCR forms a major part, however, while the coalition was successful in unseating the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that year, the AFC walked away from the coalition in 2022, having lost the 2020 Elections.

“There must be a reexamination of the time leading up to the coalition, our performance in office at the coalition, our performance at the 2020 elections because the only way we can move forward is if we examine what has happened both good and bad, we must be committed to the truth, we must be committed to those results, and we must be committed to acting on that information. That’s the only way we are going to move forward, I certainly, would attempt to persuade the party that we do that as a matter of urgency,” the AFC Leader said. 

AFC’s Chairman, David Patterson said moving forward, the party will conduct a nationwide outreach with the intention of connecting and reconnecting with its more than 5,000 members across the country, while recruiting new members. 

According to Patterson, just before the conference, the party’s membership skyrocketed with registration increasing threefold. 

“We will be expanding the party, in particular, we will be concentrating on the riverain and hinterland regions which we are due to visit. We intend to hear from all citizens about their concerns and what they believe are their priority areas for attention, and receiving from them and our members their views on the future of Guyana,” the Chairman said. 

He said major attention will be given to the nation’s young people, as the party repositions itself to be that driving force heading into the 2025 Elections. 

Immediate Past Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan said he is excited about the future of the party, and sees its leadership, leading the way with fervor and passion to cement its place heading in the 2025 Elections. 

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