Aubrey Norton, leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and Presidential Candidate for the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), announced on Friday that APNU colleague Ganesh Mahipaul is positioned to become Guyana’s Vice President should the party win the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1, 2025.
During a press conference, Norton addressed concerns regarding Mahipaul’s role in the party, especially after the announcement of Juretha Fernandes as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Mahipaul had been seen as a leading contender for the position.
“I spoke with all members of the APNU, and we generally agreed that we needed Juretha Fernandes,” Norton stated. He highlighted Fernandes’ qualifications, noting her intellect, her status as a woman from the indigenous community, and her ongoing engagement with that community.
Norton clarified that Mahipaul was involved in these discussions and understood that selecting Fernandes as the Prime Ministerial candidate made strategic political sense. He assured reporters that Mahipaul will play a significant role in the campaign leading up to the elections and emphasized his potential as Vice President.
“We intend to showcase three main faces of the campaign: myself as leader, Juretha Fernandes as Prime Minister, and Ganesh Mahipaul as the possible Vice President in the next government,” Norton explained.
Fernandes, who previously belonged to the Alliance for Change (AFC), joined APNU after the AFC failed to re-establish a coalition agreement. She was accompanied by fellow party members Sherod Duncan and Deonarine Ramsaroop in this political shift.
Norton reiterated that APNU remains open to coalition discussions but will not waver on its decision to have Fernandes as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Despite the AFC’s scaled-back coalition proposal, which accepts Norton as the Presidential candidate and seeks to name its own Prime Ministerial candidate, Norton stated that APNU would only consider another candidate if Juretha chooses to step aside.
The upcoming elections are shaping up to be a pivotal moment for APNU as it aims to strengthen its position and unite its leadership ahead of the polls.
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