Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana, a nation which has had a history of strong racial tension. - File
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):
THE NEWLY-formed Alliance For Change (AFC) says a recent survey which shows the party increasing its popularity among voters is evidence that racial voting in Guyana is "on the way out".
The party said the July 13-18 survey done on its behalf by the Mexican-based firm, ACORP, showed the AFC and the main opposition People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R) in a statistical tie "and closing sharply the gap" with the ruling People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus four per cent.
According to AFC, the survey shows that support for President Bharrat Jagdeo slipped from 40 to 35 per cent, while backing for PNC/R leader, Robert Corbin, tumbled from 36 to 30 per cent.
But the party said that the results also showed that support for its leader Raphael Trotman climbed from 21 to 28 per cent.
Support for the other political parties in Guyana increased by four per cent to seven per cent during the survey period, the party said.
Trotman, a former PNC/R parliamentarian, said the results "demonstrated that racial politics in Guyana is on its way out".
Another AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, said the data indicated "a strong showing for those who want the rule of law to return to Guyana," while AFC Vice-Chairman, Sheila Holder, said the results were encouraging and "show that real change and progress is just around the corner for our country."
"The fact that the PPP/C and the PNC/R both lost an equal number of votes to the AFC indicates that Trotman is not splitting the African- Guyanese votes as some have charged but is demonstrating a rare ability to cross ethnic lines and win the votes of all Guyanese," AFC political consultant, Dick Morris, said in a statement.
Guyana is preparing for regional and general elections likely to be held in September after being postponed from August.
