“IT is an alignment of positions on the issue of local government elections. This is something we will continue to advocate for until a date (for Local Government elections) is called.” 

This is according to former head of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Executive Chairman of Blue CAPS, Mr. Clinton Urling, when asked about his organisation’s support for A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) continuing protest actions, relative to a demand for Guyanese to go to Local Government polls.
According to him, Blue CAPS will lend its support to APNU, since it believes that there must be a move to the overdue local government elections.
APNU’s protest actions, ongoing since mid-September, followed the expiration of an ultimatum given to President Donald Ramotar by APNU Leader, Brigadier (Rtd) David Granger.
Mr. Granger had called on the Head of State to set a date for local government elections before September 15 or face the “mobilization of national and international” support by the party to ensure the elections are hosted.
However, President Ramotar is holding fast to his position, that he needs for Granger “to clarify what precisely” is his Party’s position before he can “properly respond” to his letter, since he, Granger, was saying one thing, and his Party another.
Before the ultimatum, the APNU had made clear its support for the Alliance For Change (AFC) no-confidence motion, which, if passed with majority support, could see Guyana heading to an early general elections.
In his reply, by letter, to Mr. Granger last Thursday, President Ramotar requested that the APNU Leader be specific as to what his Party wanted.
Local government elections have not been held in Guyana since 1994. Prior to that, local government elections were last held in 1970. Subsequent to 1994, the elections could not be conducted because of the coincidence with the general and regional elections of 1997.

(Vanessa Narine)