GEORGETOWN, Guyana – June 19, 2025 — The Alliance For Change (AFC) has pulled the plug on coalition negotiations with the APNU following a dramatic shift in loyalties by three of its top members.
Sherod Duncan, Juretha Fernandes, and Ricky Ramsaroop made headlines on Tuesday when their names appeared on the APNU’s list of candidates for the upcoming general elections. The move triggered an immediate response from the AFC, which stripped them of party membership, citing a clear breach of its constitutional rules.
A day later, party leader Nigel Hughes confirmed what many had already suspected: talks between the AFC and APNU are no longer on the table.
“That moment has passed,” Hughes told reporters outside a GECOM stakeholder meeting. “We’re now focused on our campaign. We believe the policies we’re offering to the public will speak for themselves.”
Hughes avoided assigning blame but noted that the negotiations never gained real momentum. The final break, he said, was not just about the defection of the three members, but a culmination of unresolved disagreements.
On the issue of the trio’s departure, Hughes was firm. “Our Constitution is unambiguous. If you align yourself with another party while still a member, your membership ends. That’s the position. So, the APNU now has three former members of the AFC on its slate.”
Adding fuel to the fire, the APNU has announced that Fernandes — previously the AFC’s lead spokesperson on finance — will be its Prime Ministerial Candidate. According to Hughes, her candidacy was never discussed during coalition meetings, which were centered more on structure and principles than individual names.
“She was never mentioned,” he said. “The talks were always about policy direction. The only individual position the APNU insisted on was that the Presidential Candidate must come from the PNC.”
Meanwhile, APNU leader and Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton addressed the collapse of the talks, saying his party had exhausted every attempt to reach a workable agreement.
“We spent a long time trying to build a coalition,” Norton said. “At some point, with an election looming, we had to make a call and move forward with clarity.”
Discussions between the two sides had dragged on for over six months, hampered by disagreements over power-sharing. The AFC had initially sought 65% control of any joint arrangement — a demand that was later reduced to 55%, and finally to 35%. But that wasn’t enough to seal the deal, as other elements of the proposal also failed to satisfy the APNU.
With the breakdown now public and final, both parties are preparing to head into the election season independently. For the AFC, it marks a significant departure from the coalition politics that have shaped its recent history. Whether it can rally voters behind its solo platform remains to be seen.
