Khemraj Ramjattan, Nigel Hughes, Moses Nagamootoo and Cathy Hughes have been identified as nominees to be the AFC’s next presidential candidate, the party announced yesterday.
The nominations were received at a meeting of the AFC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), held yesterday at the Georgetown Club, where the party’s strategy in preparation for general elections early next year was discussed.
In a statement yesterday, the AFC said Raphael Trotman, Nigel Hughes, Cathy Hughes, Dr. Verasammy Ramayya and David Patterson were nominated to be the prime ministerial candidate. According to the party, the decision on who will be elected the presidential and prime ministerial candidates will be made when it holds its biennial National Conference on October 25th.
Ramjattan, the current party leader who was the presidential candidate at the last general elections,
has already endorsed Nagamootoo to be the candidate at next general elections, with Nigel Hughes as the prime ministerial candidate.
The AFC’s focus on an elections strategy comes in wake of the party’s submission of a no-confidence motion against the government for consideration in the National Assembly. If passed by the opposition majority, the motion would force the resignation of the government and new general elections within three months.
The main opposition APNU has already indicated that it will support the motion if brought up for a vote.
The AFC yesterday said representatives from all ten administrative regions of Guyana gathered for the NEC meeting, while representatives from the Diaspora joined by Skype to put details to the AFC strategy that will guide the party at the 2015 polls.
“The National Execu-tive Committee gave total support to the Motion of No Confidence and saw the representatives pledging 100 percent commitment to move the election process forward,” it said.” It added that all representatives “were highly motivated and eager to get back to the Regions to advance the work that will give the AFC the advantage at the next poll.”
According to the party statement, the AFC leadership unanimously condemned the minority government for undermining the constitution by refusing to hold local government elections and establishing a procurement commission, as well as unlawfully spending public funds not authorised by the Parliament.
The no-confidence motion was in part incited by government’s decision to proceed with spending that was expressly disapproved by the National Assembly during the consideration of the budget estimates, which the opposition contends is illegal.
The AFC added that yesterday’s meeting also saw the NEC pledging full support for Trotman, co-founder of the party and now Speaker of the National Assembly, in the face of what it dubbed “a diabolical plot against him.” Trotman has recently faced sexual abuse allegations, which he has vehemently denied, while the party has suggested that government is involved in advancing the allegations to stall the no-confidence motion.
The party said too the meeting also expressed solidarity with Kaieteur News, which it said is being subjected to attempts to muzzle it as a member of the free press.
