The announcement of support for a Nagamootoo/Hughes elections ticket for the AFC by its Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, has attracted much comment. It was known for some time that the AFC had been contemplating such a combination. Mr Hughes has already indicated his own willingness as well as his support for Mr Nagamootoo, who said that he was humbled. This AFC team comprises two well-known Guyanese. The AFC believes that they have substantial appeal.
The AFC has had little choice in deploying what it would consider to be its best team in these specific political conditions. It will want to retain the support it took from the PPP in 2011 and recover from the PNCR that which it lost. Nagamootoo was seen as the AFC leader who attracted that PPP support. Hughes has been active in the African Guyanese community while sustaining political activity across the ethnic and geographic spectrum. He is seen within the AFC as having the potential of attracting much youth support. Both candidates are well known and have been active politically, Nagamootoo for much longer. Nagamootoo was up to 1992 one of Guyana’s leading journalists and one of Guyana’s best known politicians up to the present time. He has long been an outstanding political platform orator. Hughes has been active for many years as a public advocate for persons allegedly victimized by police violence.
The party was established just at the time when dissatisfaction with the PNCR was mounting, temporarily as it turned out, and the goodwill for the PPP at the