The new Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Aubrey Norton, has written to former Party Leader David Granger requesting that he surrenders the position of leader of the list for the APNU+AFC.
The leader of the list has the power to make changes to the party’s parliamentary representatives.
It is unclear whether Granger has responded to the request.
News Source understands that Mr. Granger has also been requested to transfer the position of Chairman of the APNU to the new Leader of the PNC.
With regard to the position of Head of the coalition’s candidate list, there are reports that Mr. Granger has been told that if there are any constitutional hurdles that would arise with regards to changing the head of the list, the PNC Leader would like to discuss the issue.
Last week former General Secretary Amna Ally informed the Guyana Elections Commission that she no longer serves as the Chief Scrutineer for the APNU+AFC coalition, relinquishing that position now that she has been replaced as PNC General Secretary.
Today, recently elected party Leader Aubrey Norton announced that the new Central Executive Committee of the party held its first meeting yesterday and decided that the party Leader and Opposition Leader should be one person and that the party leader should also be the leader of the coalition’s list.
The decision of the party executive could effectively see the replacement of Joe Harmon as Opposition Leader.
“The party Central Executive has decided that the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the party should be one person and that I will meet with meet with the Leader of the Opposition to discuss this issue shortly,” Mr. Norton said during a press conference today.
The meeting is scheduled to take place before next Wednesday.
Incumbent Opposition Leader Joe Harmon initially held the view that the Leader of the PNC/R and Leader of the Opposition should be the same person.
But following his defeat at the party’s congress last month, he advanced the position that the party’s internal election could not dictate whether he is removed as Opposition Leader since he was elected to that position following the March 2020 General elections.
Mr. Norton won the PNC leadership race by a landslide and political watchers belives that win should see the new leader taking up the prominent role in the National Assembly as Opposition Leader.
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