The Alliance For Change (AFC) executive, split on the issue, has ruled out a pre-election alliance with either of Guyana's two major political parties.

But party leader, Raphael Trotman on Sunday hoped that a new civic grouping with electoral ambitions would revitalize the creation of allies.

"The proposal from civil society should be treated with the utmost seriousness because I believe that civil society can act as the bridge that allows for political parties and political actors from across the divide  to come together as patriots to stand on a platform of shared interests and responsibility," Mr. Trotman told Demerara Waves.

At the same time, the AFC said it acknowledged and gave due respect to the minority view "that the door should not be closed on the possibility of forming alliances" with the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) and the Peoples National Congress Reforn (PNCR).

The electoral laws do not permit alliances after a general election, but there can be a hung-parliament if none of the political parties commands a simple majority to pass laws and the national budget. Under the proportional representation electoral system, the presidential candidate comes from the party with the single largest number of votes.

Both local and foreign executive members of the party on Saturday decided against an alliance before the 2011 polls with either the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) or the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNC/R).

The AFC said the majority of its executive members, including those from the Caribbean, United States and United Kingdom chapters, preferred to forge alliances with civil society and individuals from the two major parties.

"The deliberations were centered on the various options relating to how and with whom these alliances and partnerships should be forged with the majority decision being that the AFC, as early as is possible, proceed to forge alliances with civic society groups, like-minded political entities, and even personalities from both the PPP/C and the PNC/R, but not with the PPP/C or the PNC/R as political organizations," said the AFC in its statement.

Demerara Waves understands that the issue was not put to a vote.

The AFC re-stated that the "pre-election exclusion of the latter two from the process of alliance building and partnership was in recognition that these two parties are wholly incompatible with the AFC" and that the "AFC ultimately will not be able to maintain its identity and core principles if it were to ally with either one of them."

AFC Chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan had expressed similar fears and had even gone as far as saying that the party could possibly loose much-needed funding.

Mr. Trotman, who had previously supported an alliance with the PNCR, said the announcement by a citizens' group that it would enter the electoral race could possibly revitalize national interest in alliance politics.

"As was evident in the discussion yesterday old hurts, suspicions, distrust, and issues of race continue to ensure that barriers and obstacles remain in the way of genuine healing and reconciliation. I believe therefore that the process of ushering in the New Republic, which we so urgently and desperately need, has to be facilitated by civil society and the rest of us will have to participate because left to ourselves, we will maintain the dividing walls," added Mr. Trotman.

A four-member team headed by Ms Sheila Holder and comprising of Dominic Gaskin, Gerhard Ramsaroop, and David Patterson was selected by the NEC to proceed with engagements as soon as possible with like-minded individuals, personalities and entities.

The privately-owned Stabroek News newspaper reported on Saturday that the citizens' group intends to "improve the standards of political behaviour, public dealings, social discourse, transparency and accountability."

That group says it is made up of all races, genders, religions, classes, wage groups and members of political parties. “We recognize that this task requires commitment to the virtues of honesty, hard work, thrift, sacrifice, fairness and life-long learning as the only pathway to excellence in personal performance and success of our country,” they added.

WPA executive member, Tacuma Ogunseye has previously accused the AFC of engaging in "hegemony" in an attempt to jostle the PNCR out as the main opposition party.

The AFC holds five seats and the PNCR 22 in the in the 65-National Assembly.