HGP Nightly News – APNU and WIN leaders left their first round of talks without tackling the major issues that brought them to the table, agreeing instead to create rules for future negotiations before attempting to strike any political deals.
Both sides described Monday’s meeting as “cordial” and committed themselves to continued dialogue.
However, the parties did not enter substantive discussions on opposition representation at the Local Government Commission or the Guyana Elections Commission.
Opposition Leader and WIN Leader Azruddin Mohamed said the meeting concentrated on preparing a joint statement, establishing terms of reference and exploring a possible Memorandum of Understanding.
He explained that both parties needed to consult their members and parliamentarians before negotiating positions on the outstanding issues.
“Dialogue will continue,” Mohamed said.
PNCR and APNU Leader Aubrey Norton similarly argued that the parties needed an agreed structure before moving into substantive negotiations.
“If you are in serious negotiations, you need to have clear principles, a clear framework to be guiding,” Norton said. “You can’t just hopscotch.”
He indicated that a formal MOU could eventually emerge from the discussions.
Norton declined to reveal the proposals exchanged during Monday’s meeting, saying the parties had agreed that their immediate position would be presented through a joint statement.
No joint statement was included in the information provided, and neither side announced a date for the next meeting.
The talks followed an invitation from Mohamed to discuss several unresolved matters affecting opposition representation and cooperation.
Those matters included nominees to the Local Government Commission and the continued service of the three opposition-appointed commissioners at GECOM.
The proposed agenda also covered opposition scrutineers involved in the voter-registration process and the unresolved elections for Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Region Ten Regional Democratic Council.
Region Ten has remained without its full elected leadership following a 9–9 tie in the chairmanship vote after the 2025 elections.
Although those issues supplied the political backdrop to the meeting, Mohamed said the parties first needed authority from their respective organisations before deciding how to proceed.
APNU representative David Hinds stressed that his party was treating the engagement seriously.
The decision to begin with procedures does not necessarily indicate that the discussions have failed. Establishing agreed rules could help prevent later disputes over representation, confidentiality and decision-making.
However, the meeting produced no announced breakthrough on the commissions, voter-registration oversight or Region Ten stalemate.
WIN replaced APNU as Guyana’s main parliamentary opposition following the 2025 General and Regional Elections, changing the balance of power among parties opposed to the PPP/C government.
The two organisations must now determine whether they can cooperate on shared concerns while remaining political competitors.
For the moment, WIN and APNU have agreed to keep talking; but the difficult negotiations are still ahead.
