Norton promises to revitalise PNCR after recent electoral defeat

Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, 22:27 by Writer

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton at the weekend promised to put the party on a firm footing following its worst electoral defeat at the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections.

“When you come out of an election in which you suffer a defeat, you cannot just bury your head in the sand,” he said on his party’s weekly programme, Nation Watch.

The PNCR-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) won 12 seats, newcomer We Invest in Nationhood, 16, Forward Guyana Movement, 1, and the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), 36.

Mr Norton plans to spearhead the reorganisation and revitalisation of the PNC and its APNU parliamentary coalition.

Previously, Mr Norton had attributed APNU’s electoral performance to the absence of a coalition with the Alliance For Change (AFC), well-financed opponents, electoral irregularities and a voters list that is padded with the names of emigrants, migrants and deceased persons, and probably party supporters welcoming to new parties.

Mr Norton said during the first quarter of 2026, the PNCR/APNU would engage Guyanese to understand their “desires”, representation in and out of parliament, and deploy social workers to assist youths and provide them guidance.

“We will engage the youth because I do believe that urgent work needs to be done with the youth. This government is allowing a situation where young people’s priorities are displaced and, as a result of that, we are not developing the kind of young people we want to take the society forward,” he added.

In another 12 months, he hopes that the national conversation can focus on Guyana’s development, proper resource allocation, the ethnic problem that is connected to the social, economic and political problems in Guyana, and a properly managed Natural Resources Fund that saves for future generations.

He said disunity in the PNCR was among the things that had “accumulated” and would have to be addressed.

Like he had previously identified and pledged to do in the run-up to the PNCR’s internal elections in 2021 and after he was first elected then, Mr Norton said the party would have to work among youths.

“My major focus will be on rebuilding, ensuring we produce a corps of young people… who we educate, we train – and you know that process has begun in the party – so that they can take over the party,” he said.

Mr Norton, a veteran Guyanese politician, who has been in the PNC since the 1970s, said youths would have to be educated on politics being about service rather than merely seeking positions and if they are unsuccessful they leave for elsewhere.

The PNCR Leader said if the party is rebuilt, there would be a “wider concentration” of persons who are engaged at different levels.

He said an improved party structure would also allow for easy two-way flow of information.