APNU list of parliamentarians still not released

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said it has finalized its list of Members of Parliament for the Tenth Parliament but up to last night, no official list had been released to the media.

Prime ministerial candidate for APNU Dr Rupert Roopnaraine told Stabroek News last evening that the party was still seeking to inform persons who had not made the list with a view to pacifying them, since expectations among some of them were high.

He said that this process was time consuming because some of the persons resided out of town.

Roopnaraine said that it was unlikely that the official list would be made public until some time today.

Sources have indicated that the hold-up in the release of the list of parliamentarians has to do with a pending decision on whether Deborah Backer, the APNU’s choice for Speaker of the National Assembly, will get the nod from the Alliance for Change (AFC). Efforts to reach officials of the AFC last evening proved futile.

While the government is of a mind to have former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran returned as Speaker in the Tenth Parliament, the Alliance for Change is putting forward two candidates: Moses Nagamootoo and Raphael Trotman.

Social media were abuzz yesterday with the names of persons who are said to be APNU selectees for the new parliament, which is slated for commencement some time in January.