Norton acknowledges loss, vows to ‘re-emerge better and stronger’

Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton said the coalition would recover from its loss in the September 1, 2025 elections, insisting the vote was not free and fair.

Both international and local observers have declared the results free and fair.

“We will re-emerge better and stronger,” Norton, who heads both APNU and its largest party, the People’s National Congress (PNC), said in a statement. “We will come through this and continue the journey toward building a prosperous and equal society.”

Norton claimed the coalition was in “virgin territory,” holding neither government nor the position of main opposition, but pledged that APNU would never abandon its supporters.

Preliminary results show the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) winning a decisive victory with about 242,498 votes, securing 36 seats and eight of the 10 electoral districts.

The newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party emerged as the main opposition, capturing 109,066 votes and winning Regions Seven and Ten — previously APNU strongholds. APNU fell sharply to third place, marking a dramatic decline from its 2020 performance.

Citing history, Norton recalled the PNC’s 1961 defeat, when it won 41.1 per cent of the vote but returned to office three years later. He invoked the words of party founder L.F.S. Burnham, who at the time urged supporters to “watch with me for one hour.”

Norton said APNU would continue mobilising its members and allies to regain lost ground.