– AFC agrees to stay in coalition

ATTORNEY Khemraj Ramjattan has been returned as Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) after prevailing over former General-Secretary David Patterson, when the party held its elections on Saturday during its National Conference at the Revealed World Christian Centre in William Street, Kitty.

Cathy Hughes was elected as the party’s chairperson, replacing Raphael Trotman who was not nominated for any position after he had publicly noted that he was not seeking a return to the party’s executive. Nonetheless, Trotman was among 55 persons nominated for the 12 seats on the National Executive Committee (NEC).

Hughes secured the chairperson post over parliamentarians Sherod Duncan and Juretha Fernandes. Member of Parliament Ricky Ramsaroop secured the Vice-Chairmanship over fellow MPs, Fernandes and Duncan, in addition to Devin Sears and former MP Valarie Garrido-Low.

Duncan made it into the executive as the AFC’s new General-Secretary; he prevailed over Neilson McKenzie and Michael Carrington. Up to late last evening, the party was still carrying out voting for the 12 seats on the National Executive Committee (NEC).

Meanwhile, in addition to holding its elections, the party also deliberated on its future as part of the APNU+AFC coalition, and whether to remain in the pact.
The Sunday Chronicle understands that delegates were presented with three options relating to the way forward: remaining in the party under the current circumstances, leave the coalition altogether and remaining in the coalition but under a “revised political alliance.”

Though some votes were garnered for the option to exit the coalition, the majority of votes were for the third option, to remain in the coalition, but there must be a plan to “secure a firm agreement and structure for it to have greater influence on policy positions and political action within the alliance, while maintaining its independence and rebranding and regaining its identity.”