Nagamootoo-Hughes ticket best for AFC in general election says Ramjattan

Vice-Chairman of the AFC Moses Nagamootoo is the front-runner to be the party’s presidential candidate in the next general elections and he has gained the support of party leader Khemraj Ramjattan who has also endorsed AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes as the prime ministerial candidate.

“Those two candidates will be hugely popular,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News yesterday. He said that he “absolutely” supports the duo even as he emphasised that he was speaking in his personal capacity. However, he added that he also feels that this is the view of the majority of the party and pointed out that as leader of the party, he strongly feels that he can influence the party in that direction.

The AFC has filed a motion of no-confidence against the Donald Ramotar-led administration, which, if passed, would trigger early general elections. APNU has indicated its support for the motion and the two parties combined hold a one-seat majority in the National Assembly – enough to pass the motion. The motion is likely to be considered in October when the National Assembly reconvenes. However, analysts have said that the Ramotar administration would likely want to pre-empt the opposition’s vote of no-confidence against it and call general elections before the motion is considered.

On October 24, the AFC will elect its leaders who will lead the party into the next elections and also elect the executive of the party. Based on the sentiments expressed by Ramjattan, the elections would likely formalize the Nagamootoo/Hughes ticket. “I am not going to run for either of these two positions,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News.