While the Alliance for Change had been adamant that yesterday would have been the last day in negotiations with the APNU for a new Cummingsburg agreement, sources say that they buckled under pressure and have agreed to meet again on Monday as a formula for seats saw a deadlock again.
“The PMship is sorted but we are still negotiating on the seats allocation and will meet again on Monday…” a source close to the negotiations told Stabroek News.
“Yes, it does mean that the (current) 60/40 has been agreed to by both sides to be quashed and a new formula has to be worked out…,” the source added but would not give details about proposals for the new formula.
Following a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) on November 2nd, the AFC had said that the council had, “provided guidance to assist the negotiating team in finalising agreement on the remaining outstanding items. The NEC further agreed to an extended timeline of November 10, 2019 for the signing of the new accord.”
However, President David Granger had said that he hopes that by December 1st an agreement could be reached so that the coalition could focus on campaigning.
The deal being hammered out between the two parties to save the Cummingsburg Accord would see the AFC prime minister not becoming president were that position to become vacant, party insiders have explained.
Aside from the views in APNU that the AFC does not merit the prime ministership this time around, hardliners in the PNCR are adamant that the PM candidate – in this case Ramjattan – not accede to the presidency if the president had to demit office. President David Granger has been treated this year for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and his Cuban doctors recently declared that he was in remission.
APNU’s balking at the AFC’s choice of Ramjattan as the PM candidate had brought the 2015 elections-winning accord to the brink as the AFC has held strongly to its position. The deadlock saw President Granger intervening and meeting twice with Ramjattan.
Both sides have agreed to Ramjattan being the Prime Ministerial candidate but talks broke down again with what sources explained was “hard ball” negotiations from the APNU on a formula for seats.
The AFC, sources sought to counter with a proposal to have its members get some the diplomatic postings, should the coalition win the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
But the President, sources say, believes that those postings should go to career or professional diplomats instead of party supporters.
