Will Gaspar Vega Face Recall in Orange Walk North?

Gaspar Vega

The Northern Caucus of the People’s United Party has called for the resignation of Gaspar Vega. The Orange Walk North area representative and former Deputy Prime Minister resigned from cabinet after the news of a million-dollar compensation for land at the Haulover Creek was paid to his son, Andre, and attorney Sharon Pitts. Vega told party officials on March eighth, when he stepped down from his first deputy party leader post, that he would not offer himself as a candidate in the next general election. But Opposition Leader John Briceño, whose seat in Orange Walk Central is right next door, says Vega’s sins – and his punishment – should go further than that, and will come from his constituents.

John Briceñ

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“We believe in the Northern Caucus, after a long discussion, that what the Honorable Gaspar Vega did was a betrayal of the trust of the people in Orange Walk [North] and a betrayal of the trust of the people of this country. When we hear of the things that has taken place under his watch – and more things continue to come up, ladies and gentlemen – I think that he needs to do the right thing; I think that he needs to do the honorable thing – I think that he needs to resign now. If he refuses to resign now, at the appropriate time, which I think is going to be eighteen months after the election, which I think is going to be in May of 2017, the people of Orange Walk North have said, through the Northern Caucus, that they are going to mount a recall against the Honorable Gaspar Vega.”

The party will begin spreading the word about the recall movement in advance of the deadline of May, 2017. Thirty percent of the electorate, via petition, are required to trigger the referendum; a further sixty-five percent of constituents will participate in the recall referendum, with a simple majority needed to vote out the representative and force a by-election.