On its first solo outing at the Local Government Elections, the Alliance for Change (AFC) is set to battle it out with its coalition partner, APNU in Linden.
The AFC for part of its history had been able to gain a substantial following in Linden but over time support has slipped away to the PNCR/APNU. In 2006, the party had argued that it had won the Linden seat which had been awarded by the elections commission to the PPP/C.
The results of the election on November 12 will be looked at to discern whether there is dissatisfaction at Linden with APNU.
According to the approved list of candidates posted by the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) the AFC will be contesting in all eight of the constituencies in Linden alongside the APNU and PPP/C.
In constituency 1 AFC’s Norris King will go head to head with Lawrence Simon of the APNU , Akanni Blair of the PPP/C and Antonio Thompson of the United Republican Party. King who contested as part of the Ambassadors for Progress in 2016 suffered a major loss to the APNU+AFC candidate Eleze Benjamin who returns to the contest as a Proportional Represen-tation candidate for the APNU.
In constituency 2 Receptionist Coretta Brathwaite-Walton faces off against payroll officer Stephen Massiah of the APNU, Hazlen Luther of the PPP/C and John Seon of the URP. Incumbent Lennox Gaspar like Benjamin will depend on the representative of the list for his return to council as he appears as a PR candidate.
However in Constituency 3 incumbent Leroy James stands ready to return to his seat on the council even as he faces competition from the AFC’s Devin Sears and the PPP/C’s Mona Razack.
Also returning to the First Past the Post Ballot is Constituency 4 representative Wainewright Bethune who will face off against the AFC’s Henry Rodney and the PPP/C’s Orin Miller.
Current Mayor Waneka Arrindell will defend her record against James Fyee of the PPP/C, Odonna Richmond of the URP and Ashtorine Antigua of the AFC.
Over in Constituency 6 APNU newcomer Lorna Calvan will go head to head with AFC’s Roger Kingston, PPP/C’s Michael Smartt and URP’s Leanna Morris. Incumbent Keeran Williams has disappeared from all candidate lists submitted in that Municipality.
Fern McCoy of Constituency 7 is however standing her ground in the face of competition from Melissa Thomas of the URP, Patricia Hinds of the PPP/C and Eon Nicholson of the AFC.
Finally Neola Rogers who held the Constituency 8 seat has chosen to contest as an APNU PR candidate while newcomer Gary King will contest on the First Past the Post ballot against Lousia DeSouza of the AFC, Paula Moshette of the PPP/C and Seon Anthony of the URP.
