Guyana’s two main opposition parties have failed to reach agreement on a number of issues following a first round of talks here nearly one week ago, according to a joint statement issued here.
The two parties met on August 24.
Opposition Leader and head of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) led a delegation that held talks with officials from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), headed by Aubrey Norton and, who is also the leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) ‘to discuss matters of mutual concern and the prospects for greater political cooperation in the interest of the people of Guyana’.
But according to the joint statement the genesis of the meeting was the matters in letters being traded between the parties, namely those relating to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), including the appointment of Commissioners and the issue of electoral scrutineers as well as the ongoing impasse affecting the functioning of the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council and the nominations to the Local Government Commission.
‘The meeting was cordial and provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on developing general and specific guidelines to govern the engagement between the parties.’
The joint statement noted that the ‘parties committed that, in the case of WIN, they will hold consultations with their leadership/membership before they decide whether they would agree to name a three-member team to work along with a three-member team from APNU to develop the general and specific guidelines to govern their engagement with APNU.
‘In APNU’s case, it will consult with other parties in its coalition to select a three-member team,’ the statement said, adding ‘no final decisions were taken on the substantive matters discussed at the meeting’.