Hughes Credits Mohammed’s Philanthropy for WIN’s Electoral Breakthrough
By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News.
Alliance for Change (AFC) executive member Cathy Hughes has credited We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) leader Azruddin Mohammed’s philanthropy and ability to connect with voters as central to his party’s surprise breakthrough in the 2025 General and Regional Elections.
Hughes noted that Mohammed’s years of giving back to communities helped him build credibility among citizens who were eager for a fresh alternative to traditional politics. She explained that his personal style—including his fashion choices and strong public presence—resonated with younger voters and reinforced the idea that he represented something new.
“He definitely made people feel that he wasn’t part of the system before, and I think that was a very critical aspect. Most Guyanese were just tired of the same old, same old and wanted something totally different,” Hughes said.
According to Hughes, Mohammed’s financial capacity, reputation for generosity, and outsider status allowed him to stand apart from other parties and tap into public discontent with “politics as usual.”
She also observed that WIN’s campaign approach reflected broader shifts in the political climate. Unlike the traditional mass rallies of past elections, WIN found success in more minor, localized engagements—a strategy Hughes partly attributed to voter fear, with many citizens preferring not to be openly seen affiliating with political parties.
“We were far more tolerant of the fact as a people that everybody was entitled to support whatever party they wanted to support, and there wasn’t this viciousness and destructive personal attack to our politics,” Hughes added.
Hughes acknowledged that her own party, the AFC, faces challenges in reconnecting with young people. She noted that voter turnout among youth was particularly low in 2025 and that the party’s once-strong youth arm has weakened. Still, she said the AFC engaged several promising young people in the final stages of its campaign, and she sees potential in elevating them into leadership roles from now on.
