No decision yet on Coalition’s PM Candidate for next elections -Pres. Granger

The Alliance For Change, which is the junior partner in the coalition wants its Leader Khemraj Ramjattan to be President David Granger's running mate, replacing the current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who is also from the AFC.

No decision yet on Coalition’s PM Candidate for next elections  -Pres. Granger

As the governing coalition partners continue to review the Cummingsburg Accord, there has been no decision as yet on the Prime Ministerial Candidate.

The Alliance For Change, which is the junior partner in the coalition wants its Leader Khemraj Ramjattan to be President David Granger’s running mate, replacing the current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo who is also from the AFC.

But speaking to members of the media today, the President indicated that the issue has not yet been settled.

“The Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change are now discussing the Cummingsburg Accord 2015 and this is one of the issues that will have to be discussed, but I cannot say now, who I will be running with”, the President said.

At the AFC’s Congress earlier this year, the party voted and selected Khemraj Ramjattan as the person who should be put forward as the Prime Ministerial Candidate for the next elections.

Mr. Ramjattan has made it clear that he is very interested in the job. The current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, although he failed to pick up the support from his party for the position, has said that he is still interested in the post.

A poll conducted by the Barbados based CADRES organisation found that Mr. Ramjattan was the favourite among Opposition supporters to be the Prime Ministerial Candidate. However, when it comes to supporters of the government, they prefer Nagamootoo over Ramjattan.

There is no constitutional requirement for a Prime Ministerial Candidate to be named before elections, but the political parties in Guyana would name their PM Candidate by nomination day as the campaign heats up.

Under the Constitution of Guyana, the Prime Minister is next in line to the Presidency if the sitting President is forced to resign from his position or is no longer able to serve.

The largest party in the coalition government is the People’s National Congress which is part of the APNU.

Some political observers believe the AFC got more that it should have gotten under the last agreement and the APNU must look carefully at that and ensure the party that brings the largest number of support is more comfortable with the political positions allocated to it.

President Granger today said whatever decisions the APNU and AFC come up with, those decisions will have to be in conformity with the Constitution.

“The major aspect is that the two groups, the APNU and AFC, abide by the Constitution of Guyana, that is the principle foundation of any agreement. Nothing in the Accord should collide with the Constitution”, Mr. Granger noted.

He said it would not be prudent to start discussing names before the partners in the coalition complete their negotiations.

Some political watchers believe the coalition could possibly go for a Prime Ministerial Candidate outside both the APNU and AFC.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login