AS Guyana gets closer to its important September 2025 elections, a significant political shift is happening that points to difficult times for the opposition parties.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR/APNU) are in increasingly weak positions. They are losing key members and struggling to stay relevant in a quickly changing political scene.

The departure from these opposition parties has sped up in recent months, with notable defections causing major disturbances in Guyana’s political scene. Among those who have left are AFC’s Region Seven Chairman David Daniels and Region Five Councilor Ismal Muhammad Al-Kush.

The PNCR has faced similar losses, with prominent figures such as MP Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Regional Chairman Daniel Seeram, and Vice Chairman Samuel Sandy also departing. These changes reflect more than just shifts in personnel; they point to a deep crisis of trust in the opposition’s leadership, vision, and ability to organise.
What makes this exodus particularly damning is that many departing members are not simply retiring from politics but are either joining the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) or attempting to form new political movements.

Former PNCR MP Amanza Walton-Desir recently launched “Forward Guyana,” acknowledging that despite “good people in the opposition, we have not been able to effectively check the current government”.
This trend of splintering rather than consolidating opposition forces virtually guarantees electoral defeat, as the proliferation of small parties dilutes the anti-government vote.
The irony is inescapable, these same individuals who now criticise their former parties’ policies and leadership were once architects and defenders of those very positions.
Their credibility in forming new movements is questionable when they previously contributed to the very problems they now claim to oppose. This political opportunism reflects a desperate scramble for relevance rather than principled opposition.

Meanwhile, the PPP/C has shown strong organisation and clear vision. The party has not only kept its main supporters but also grown its membership by attracting disillusioned opposition figures and new persons.
These individuals point to the party’s clear vision for development, inclusive approach to governance, and consistent policies as reasons for their switch. Former critics now commend the PPP/C’s record on infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic management.

The party’s acceptance of diversity, including ethnic, religious, and gender differences, has resonated with citizens across Guyana’s demographic spectrum.
Even Lenox Shuman of the Liberty and Justice Party has endorsed the PPP/C, noting the stark difference between its governance and that of the previous APNU+AFC administration.
As opposition parties become more entangled in internal conflicts and leadership struggles, the writing is on the wall.
Their failure to present a united front or a clear alternative vision has created a political gap that the PPP/C has effectively filled. For Guyanese voters looking for stability and ongoing development, the choice in September seems more obvious.