Azruddin Mohamed’s party won’t cause hung parliament – Jagdeo; AFC acknowledges WIN is popular

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, 2:06 by Writer

People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday said he was certain that Azruddin Mohamed’s We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) would not cause the incumbent party to lose its parliamentary majority in the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections.

“No, there will not be a hung parliament, there will not be a hung parliament. In 2020, we won with all the odds stacked against us and we have grown since. Look at the others. They have all lost energy,” he said shortly after submitting the PPPC’s list of candidates.

Instead, he suggested that WIN was scraping off some supporters from the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). “APNU has to worry more about the Mohameds than the People’s Progressive Party and their quiet collaboration is harming them, is backfiring (on) them,” he said. Mr Jagdeo restated that APNU had promised Mr Mohamed that he might avoid accounting for his alleged crimes. APNU has already dismissed that as “nonsense”.

Mr Mohamed has been pulling reasonably sized gatherings across Afro-Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese and Amerindian communities. In Georgetown on Nomination Day – July 14 – WIN pulled the third largest number of supporters outside Umana Yana where nominations were submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Though Mr Jagdeo was confident that WIN would not result in the PPP losing control of the 65-seat National Assembly, he again appealed to party supporters to turn out to cast their ballots to secure an “overwhelming” majority. “We believe that will happen but we’re taking nothing for granted. We told the people, who support us, that they have to work harder than even before to ensure that happens. We have that support but now it’s to translate that support into votes on election day. That means high turnout. You have to get people not to be complacent,” he said. He said the PPP would be guarding against over confidence in being victorious by those who are impressed by large turnouts. He said the PPP had grown in all communities across all races.

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes said on Monday that WIN was popular. “WIN, as you can tell, is extremely popular. We’ve had parties like WIN before which have been exceedingly popular,” he said. Asked whether he believed that WIN could result in the PPP being defeated or losing its 33-seat parliamentary majority, Mr Hughes said, “Certainly, from the people, who’ve been turning out to their meetings, they seem to have had a significant impact, sufficient, I think, to affect the outcome of the elections,” he said.

The AFC, which first contested elections in 2006, had won between five and seven seats on its own. Under the leadership of political newcomer David Granger, the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) had grown its support from 26 seats in 2011 to 33 seats in 2015 when it formed the government in a coalition with the AFC.

In 2020, a highly popular Mr Granger led the APNU+AFC coalition to the polls but lost the election by two seats to the PPPC which won 33 seats. The PPPC also apparently received unwavering support in the House from the Liberty and Justice Party and The New Movement which alternated a single joinder seat.

Today, although numerous persons have walked away from APNU in recent weeks to be part of the PPPC and WIN, Leader Aubrey was still confident that his support base was intact. “My task is to protect our base and ensure no party takes from us and if they take, it’s minimal. I believe that we have assembled a team and when people see the team, even Mohamed would be in trouble,” said Mr Norton, a political scientist.

Among those leaving the PNCR and APNU are James Bond, Dr Richard Van West Charles, Daniel Seeram, Samuel Sandy, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Thandi McAllister and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley. Ms Simona Broomes and Amanza Walton-Desir have moved on from the PNCR and have formed their own political parties that are contesting the upcoming polls.

But the PNCR+APNU Leader appeared unfazed by the departures, saying that he had no time to analyse those persons who left the PNCR. Instead, he said his list of candidates is balanced based on youth, a broad spectrum of professionalism, grassroots, political experience, race and integrity. “We have a well-balanced list… and it is our sincere belief that this co-mixation of people will allow us to run the country effectively,” he said.