Five days after senior representatives of the main opposition parties, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), met to discuss several key political issues, the two sides on Saturday issued a joint statement outlining the outcome of their discussions.
The meeting was led by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who headed the WIN delegation, and APNU Chairman and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader Aubrey Norton.
The discussions focused on matters of mutual concern and the possibility of greater political cooperation in the interest of the people of Guyana.
Among the issues discussed were matters relating to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), including the appointment of commissioners and electoral scrutineers; the ongoing impasse affecting the functioning of the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council; and nominations to the Local Government Commission.
The parties described the meeting as cordial and said it provided an opportunity to exchange views on developing general and specific guidelines to govern future engagement between the two sides.
WIN said it would consult with its leadership and membership before deciding whether to appoint a three-member team to work alongside a three-member APNU team to develop the proposed guidelines.
APNU, meanwhile, said it would consult with the other parties in its coalition before selecting its three-member team.
The joint statement noted that no final decisions were taken on the substantive issues discussed during the meeting.