Georgetown, Guyana – September 12, 2025 – Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity Aubrey Norton has acknowledged that the party must rethink its strategy after losing ground to the newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party in the September 1, 2025 General and Regional election, noting that similar setbacks have occurred at different points in Guyana’s political history.
At his weekly press conference, Norton said the party has already begun a series of reviews with candidates and smaller groups to assess what went wrong. He drew comparisons to earlier elections, pointing out that in 1957 APNU’s predecessor did well, but in 1961 lost seats to the United Force. A similar situation occurred in 2006 with the emergence of the Alliance For Change (AFC), and again in 2025 with WIN.
“I think we have to review how we operate with new parties, among other things, and to understand the phenomenon of why when new parties emerge, our support base seems to go in another direction,” Norton said. “It’s not the first time, it’s not the second time, it’s the third time. It has happened under the leadership of Forbes Burnham, under the leadership of Robert Corbin, and now under my leadership. So it is something we’ll have to analyze and look at how we move forward.”
Norton suggested the pattern may also signal that APNU’s traditional base is open to new political figures. “It is probably signaling that our support base might be more welcoming of new persons. And we have to analyze it and get to the bottom of it and then develop our strategies and tactics,” he added.
Asked what issues APNU intends to press in Parliament, Norton was cautious, saying he would not “tie the hands and feet” of incoming MPs by setting a public agenda before the party’s internal consultations. He insisted that the approach must first be agreed between the party’s executive and its parliamentary group. “The only thing I will insist on in this parliamentary group is discipline as it relates to the party,” Norton said.
