P.U.P. Nomination Day March in Belize City

While Yolanda Schakron was battling in the court, the nomination of other Belize City P.U.P. candidates was underway. The legendary P.U.P. machinery rolled into the Charles Bartlett Hyde complex in the morning. News Five’s Delahnie Bain captured the energy of the opposition leaders.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

The blue machinery was in full force in Belize City this morning for the official nomination of People’s United Party candidates for the general elections. A throng of supporters congregated at the Berger Field on Vernon Street from where they paraded to the Charles Bartlett Hyde building on Mahogany.

The march was high energy from start to finish and the show of support was a boost for the current and past party leaders.

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

Francis Fonseca

“We’re feeling very good, we’re feeling very encouraged. It’s a humbling experience but we’ve gotten a lot of great support from people all across the country. A lot of people have offered us encouragement, their prayers. So it’s a humbling experience but obviously a very important day as we officially nominate our thirty-one candidates across the country to represent the People’s United Party in the March seventh general elections. So we’re very, very encouraged and the next twenty days will be very important.”

Said Musa, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Fort George

“I’m feeling very energetic after that very exciting walk just now with the people showing their love and support for the People’s United Party.”

Said Musa

Delahnie Bain

“What do you think of the numbers that came out to support you all today?”

Said Musa

“Massive man; I’m very pleased, I’m very pleased. It shows that the people realize the importance of this election and thousand have come out today in their blue. It’s a sea of blue today so the P.U.P. is riding high today and we’ll go forward right through to victory on March the seventh.”

The candidates were also in high spirits and exuded confidence that today’s nomination was another step toward victory on March seventh.

Anthony Sylvestre, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Queen Square

Anthony Sylvestre

“We’re feeling very excited. I think the people of Belize, they’ve waited four long years for deliverance and March seventh is just a couple of weeks away. I’m very excited and the turn out today is indicative of the support that the Belizean public has, the confidence that the Belizean public has in the People’s United Party and Francis Fonseca as the leader of the People’s United Party.”

Carolyn Trench-Sandiford

Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Collet

“I’m excited and inspired by the people who came out to show their support for us.”

Delahnie Bain

“You have quite a number of people out here; do you think this is an indication of what we’ll see on the seventh of March.”

Carolyn Trench-Sandiford

“Of course it is. The People’s United Party is like the Phoenix. Whenever they write us off, we rise from the ashes.”

Gilroy Usher, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Port Loyola

Gilroy Usher

“I’m feeling very confident. We had a large turnout from Port Loyola. The people are eager to come out on March seventh to vote me in as the new area representative because the current area representative has been a total failure in the division in terms of housing, streets, jobs, improvement of the sporting facilities and the list goes on and on.”

But as they celebrated their own, nominations, the P.U.P. candidates were also in solidarity with Lake I Standard Bearer, Yolanda Schakron, whose nomination was limbo at the time.

Said Musa

“Well I am very concerned that the government is trying to reject Ms. Schakron in Lake Independence when it’s very clear that the returning officer legally has no power to reject her. The constitution overrides the representation of the people rules and the constitution is very clear that the question of qualification only arises on the issue of whether or not she can be elected, not on whether she can be nominated. So if necessary this matter will be aired in the courts and we believe that the constitution will trump and rule of law will prevail and the people of Lake I will have Miss Schakron.”

Anthony Sylvestre

“The government in particular seems to want to carry out this approach with respect to the candidacy of Miss Schakron is unlawful and in fact what it does it shows the high handedness and doctoral approach of this government.”

Carolyn Trench-Sandiford

“I want to start by saying that our party’s position has always been that if you to run for the House of Representatives, you must first and foremost be a Belizean—not only in terms of being a Belizean by birth or by assent, but also solely one nationality. So we stand by that. In regards to Miss Schakron, I think she has displayed enormous courage. She has certainly displayed a very nationalistic favor. I believe Miss Schakron is a Belizean, I believe the People’s United Party is very proud of her because she is prepared to give up a US citizenship. It is not everyone that is prepared to do that. So I consider her a Belizean heroin. I consider her someone that exemplifies what a Belizean nationalist is all about.”

By the end of the day, Schakron’s candidacy was rejected, but party Leader, Francis Fonseca assured that there will be thirty-one candidates on the P.U.P. ticket despite what they consider an underhanded move by the U.D.P.

Francis Fonseca

“The U.D.P. has stolen—let’s be very clear—has stolen this lady’s passport. She has made every effort to renounce her citizenship, she’s made it absolutely clear that she is prepared to renounce her citizenship, she has started that process and that is something that the courts will take into account. So obviously, it would have been great for us to know everything before hand, but the fact is that as soon as we found out, we made it absolutely clear to Miss Schakron that she had to renounce her citizenship. On the contrary, many candidates of the U.D.P., there are allegations about them as well and we have to understand even in the press release that the government press office—and I find it very curios that this release came from the government press office and not from the Elections and Boundaries Commission.”

Fonseca says that the while the last minute changes are not ideal, he still considers the Albert, Caribbean Shores and Lake I areas to be safe seats for the P.U.P. Delahnie Bain for News Five.