U.D.P. sweeps municipal elections

The two party system is alive and well in Belize … and that’s about the only solace the P.U.P. could enjoy this morning as the magnitude of the United Democratic Party’s sweeping nationwide victory became clear. Claiming sixty-four out of sixty-seven seats up for grabs in nine municipalities and winning just under sixty percent of the total vote, the U.D.P.’s domination of the election was total and utter … and went beyond even what most of their own officials had predicted. Traditional blue strongholds in Orange Walk and Corozal toppled like dominoes in the face of the red assault while the old and new capitals were captured by the U.D.P. with surprising ease. Where the P.U.P. did manage to win a seat it was almost by fluke. The election of Mayor Carlos “Obeah” Galvez in Punta Gorda, for example, was greatly abetted by the presence on the ballot of independent candidate Anthony Westby. In practical terms, however, Galvez and his lone P.U.P. councillor Leonardo Chavarria will have little elbow room since they are on the wrong side of a five to two U.D.P. majority. And in Benque Viejo del Carmen, a normally U.D.P. town, the unseating of incumbent Mayor Said Badi Guerra at the U.D.P. convention created an intra party rift that likely allowed P.U.P. candidate Armando Chulin to grab a single seat by a slim seventeen vote margin. But for the P.U.P. that was all she wrote. Tonight Belize’s seven towns and two cities are firmly under the rule of the United Democratic Party … and we’ll begin our coverage of their story here in Belize City where the new mayor led a victory motorcade.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Following the official mid-morning announcement that the U.D.P. team had topped the polls, Zenaida Moya, most of her councillors and close supporters participated in a motorcade through the streets of Belize City.

After an intense campaign and all-nighter at the counting station, the Mayor-elect was running on pure adrenaline.

Zenaida Moya
?I?m feeling pretty good … I haven?t gotten any sleep for over twenty-four hours, so I?m a bit tired. But it was all worth it, campaigning every day and walking past City Hall, knowing that that is where my council will be. And I am so happy for everybody; this is truly a wonderful day for Belize City.?

Janelle Chanona
?Your team pulled in numbers almost double what the P.U.P. slate did. How are you all?did you expect to win by that significant a margin??

Zenaida Moya
?Well I will tell you the truth, we weren?t expecting to win by double their margin, that was unexpected. But I tell you what, we have been working hard and we have been going house to house like I have told you and it?s all about bringing the issues to the people. The U.D.P. team and I will tell you, every single person that will be in the U.D.P. city council was worth your vote. And I want all the Belize City residents to know that we will be working hard to reform, rescue, and revitalise Belize City.?

Janelle Chanona
?Talk to us about after today, after you?ve rested, what?s the first thing you and your team are going to do in City Hall??

Zenaida Moya
?Well Janelle, we know we that we have to ensure that all the resources, the human and the capital resources, we need to know what is there. So our first order of the day will be to check and ensure what is there, then we will move on with our plan of action.?

Janelle Chanona
?Anything else you want to tell the voters tonight Zenaida??

Zenaida Moya
?Yes, I want to tell everybody thank you, thank you very much. Thank you for supporting my U.D.P. eleven team, I mean they are all worth your vote, and you know what, we will ensure that Belize City becomes the best city that it ever can be. Thank you everybody.?