Ganesh is out as Juretha tapped to be PM candidate for APNU

Juretha Fernandes has been tapped to be the Prime Ministerial candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), as the political shake-up ahead of the upcoming general elections in the opposition continues to widen.

Fernandes, a Member of Parliament for the Alliance For Change (AFC), is expected to run alongside APNU’s presidential candidate, Aubrey Norton.

Her selection comes amid the AFC’s failure to re-enter a coalition agreement with APNU, effectively positioning Fernandes as a defector to the People’s National Congress (PNC), the dominant party within the APNU alliance.

The announcement marks a clear departure from earlier speculation that Ganesh Mahipaul, an opposition MP, would be tapped for the Prime Ministerial post.

Mahipaul had been widely considered a frontrunner following the resignation of PNC’s Amanza Walton-Desir. Some insiders had even suggested Walton-Desir was seeking the prime ministerial nomination herself.

APNU has yet to officially confirm the full slate of its leadership team for the elections, but Fernandes’ emergence as the PM candidate sets the stage for a new political narrative.