P.U.P. Leader Says Mahmud’s Resignation Has Been Accepted

Joseph Mahmud

We reported on Tuesday night that People’s United Party Cayo North Area Representative Joseph Mahmud will not be contesting his seat in the 2017 general elections.  The announcement was made in a letter to party leader, Francis Fonseca, last week Monday.  The news has subsequently sent shockwaves across the P.U.P. since the party feels it has been gaining a foothold in a predominantly red electorate; Mahmud and Cayo South’s Julius Espat are the two P.U.P. area representatives in the Western Caucus. In the last general elections, the P.U.P. fell short of winning Cayo Northeast and Cayo Central by a few votes. While Mahmud has decided to step down from electoral politics, he is still supporting the P.U.P. and will be assisting in finding his replacement.  This afternoon, News Five spoke with Fonseca who said that while the party is disappointed, Mahmud’s decision to withdraw from candidacy has been accepted and it is respected by the national executive.

Francis Fonseca, Party Leader, P.U.P.

Francis Fonseca

“He has not resigned as an area representative.  What he has said to us and said to me in a letter dated October thirteenth is that he will not seek re-election as an area representative for Cayo North.  As you know he was elected as area representative under the People’s United Party in 2012 and he has indicated that for personal reasons he will not be seeking re-election.  So he is giving the party fair warning and ample time to find another candidate who will then replace him and be our standard bearer in the next elections.  So, you know, we respect his decision.  It’s a personal decision that he has made.  We respect that decision, we support that decision.  In his letter he made it very clear that he will continue to serve out his term as area representative for Cayo North and he will continue to fully support the work of the People’s United Party.  In fact, he will be helping us to identify a suitable replacement candidate for Cayo North.  So we are disappointed obviously when we lose someone like Joseph Mahmud.  I believe and I have every confidence that he would have won re-elections, but I’m equally confident that we can find a proper, suitable replacement who will be able to keep that seat for the People’s United Party. As I said, this is decision made on the basis of personal reasons.  Mr. Mahmud, for personal reasons, is not able to continue his political career.  He remains in full support of the P.U.P., but I think in the west which has been a stronghold of the United Democratic Party for some time, we have been gaining ground.  In the last elections we won Cayo North and we won Cayo South and I think it’s clear that with the work that has gone into the west that we will pick up even more divisions in the next elections.  So we are very, very confident about the work that is being done in the west.”