Georgetown, Guyana
Coalition talks have opened between the country's two main opposition parties ahead of May 11 elections with the main agenda items heavily focused on agreement on candidates for the posts of president and prime minister.
The other sticking point would be the allocation of places on the list of candidates to occupy the 65-seat National Assembly under the country's list system of proportional representation.
APNU communications director, Mark Archer, told T&T Guardian: "It's early days...and the initial sparring would have taken place."
He, however, said the two negotiating teams "know each other well" and that the "basic terms of reference" for the talks have been laid out.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) held 33 parliamentary seats following the 2011 elections when the People's Progressive Party (PPP) received 48.62 per cent of the vote while the APNU polled 40.83 per cent and the AFC 10.33 per cent.
A pre-election coalition would call for a single list proposed by the "pro-democracy alliance" comprising the two parties.
General secretary of the ruling PPP, Clement Rohee, however, told T&T Guardian the "two of them coming together would be the kiss of death. It would be a sellout to their membership," Rohee said. "The question is what is likely to come out of this entire sell-out exercise."
Discussions on the AFC's "pro-democracy alliance" proposal opened last Friday and followed what is turning out to be a contentious election announcement by president, Donald Ramotar.
Former Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) judge, Prof Duke Pollard, has argued that the dissolution of Parliament ought to have preceded announcement of an election date, in accordance with the national constitution.
However, former attorney-general, Charles Ramson is arguing that the constitution permits "announcement" of an election date even in the absence of a definitive "appointment" of a date which, he says, can be made "at any time" as a prerogative of the president.
"I need not remind anyone in the legal fraternity that there is a presumption of constitutionality for actions of the state and our president must not be taken to have violated our constitution unless there is conclusive proof to the contrary," he advises in a statement to the press.
Archer said the APNU had written the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) alerting it to what it considered to be a breach of the constitution.
"As it stands right now, we must contemplate whether we go to the courts," he said.
An election day clash with scheduled Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations led Monday to discussions between the government and CXC on the shifting of exam dates. Examinations originally due for May 11 and 12 will be now held on June 15 and 16.
There is also considerable speculation on whether incumbent prime minister, Samuel Hinds, will retain his candidacy in that post.
Asked for a timeframe for the selection of a prime ministerial candidate, Rohee said: "These things are not determined by time, but are determined by discussions."
Ramotar has already been confirmed as the party's presidential candidate.