CHAIRMAN of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan has announced that the party will decide on its prime ministerial candidate for the next elections at the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to be held on January 26, 2019, where the full national executive of the party will be in attendance.

It will be expanded to include the party’s municipal and regional councillors, regional and district officials and representatives of the diaspora.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Ramjattan said it is already expected that regional and general elections will be a main topic at the NEC.

“I understand that’s one of the big issues. Constitutionally, it is due every two years and we had the last one in 2017, 17th of January and so we are due. Of course, we couldn’t hold it within that timeline because — and please appreciate that — so many things happened that December month that kind of caused it to roll over. But, it is my view that we should have it earliest as possible and within the first quarter of 2019; and I think a date and a venue will be fixed,” he said.

The Cummingsburg Accord, signed on February 14, 2015, cemented the current coalition between A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the AFC and how they select both prime ministerial and presidential candidates.

Asked whether the elected leader will be the prime ministerial candidate for the next elections, Ramjattan said: “I rather suspect that lots of issues are going to be raised there.”

He added: “Many members will have that as a big issue. I don’t know what decisions will be taken, but definitely the election of our office bearers; a leader; general-secretary; chairman; vice chair; treasurer and so on will all be done there.”
Since the victory of the coalition government in 2015, AFC-affiliated Prime Minister Moses

Nagamootoo has remained in the said position, working in collaboration with President David Granger of the PNC/R.

Ramjattan has faith in due process and noted that while he cannot foresee the results of the next party elections, measures will be put in place very soon for the decision to be made.