Cayo

Moving West, it was left to News Five’s Jacqueline Woods to feel the pulse of the one city and two towns located in the Cayo District. Her first stop was the nation’s capital.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting>
The political climate in the City of Belmopan was upbeat as the People?s United Party, the United Democratic Party, and the Vision Inspired by the People party encouraged the electorate to put their X?s in the right spot.

Simeon Lopez, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, Belmopan
?I am feeling very, very good. Our voters are coming out and we are highly optimistic. … A change for the better, that we care for everyone, caring for all, and we intend to bring better governance to the city.?

Paul Morgan, V.I.P. Mayoral Candidate, Belmopan
?I voted yellow down the line. I am feeling great and I think that the Belizeans, the Belmopan population will be voting down the line too. I think that we?re gonna to win this election. The people will speak very loudly this evening.?

Eloy Waight, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, Belmopan
?Definitely it was a positive campaign for us; we have never been on a negative campaign. We are a party of love, we have asked people, let?s continue the development of Belmopan; they have seen the growth.?

It is the first time that a third party is contesting the municipal elections in Belmopan. The V.I.P. mayoral candidate, Paul Morgan, says it was a decision they made based on the feedback they received from the people themselves.

Paul Morgan
?There has never been a third party in Belmopan. This is the first third party, and in fact if you look at the rest of the country, the people have not had a choice. So really this will be an exercise in choice for the people and I think they will answer.?

Jacqueline Woods
?For the most part, things ran smoothly in here in the west. However, there were some concerns expressed by all the political parties.?

As the political parties aggressively worked to get voters out to the polls, we observed both the P.U.P. and U.D.P. candidates and their supporters going well inside the one hundred yard line, escorting people to the doors of the polling stations at Sacred Heart Primary School and Sacred Heart College.

Jacqueline Woods
?Is this a concern for as well for you??

Fernando Cruz, Independent Mayoral Candidate, San Ignacio
?Well, it is a concern for me and basically I have made it known to the officials inside, the presiding officers, the returning officers inside. I have made it known to them and I have made it known to the police that these people should not be within the compound, because basically the constitution says that you should not be campaigning within a hundred yards boundary. But I guess if the relationship?I think the relationship between the Elections and Boundaries and police have been there, but for whatever reason, that whole relationship seems to have fallen apart today.?

Eloy Waight
?What I saw last night and saw this morning was confirmed that the U.D.P. set up shop out here, covering all the V.I.P?s signs. And this morning I saw two of these guy?s mayoral candidates from the V.I.P. and one of their councillor candidates was removing the signs from the Ring Road. That is between them, we are a peace loving party and we are asking people to keep it that way. Let?s respect each other.?

In Belmopan the voter turnout was encouraging, but further west in the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio, there were far more campaign workers than registered voters.

Alwyn Smith, P.U.P. Supporter
?To be honest with you, I?ve been doing this for approximately forty years and this is the first time I see this low turnout. Why? I don?t know.?

Leonard Young, U.D.P. Supporter
?The politicians need to do more to get the people more enthusiastic about voting. There are countries where people are giving up their life for the right to vote and here where we have that liberty, most people think it?s not necessary. They just take life for granted and I think that?s very pathetic.?

Jacqueline Woods
?Any predictions from both you guys?

Leonard Young
?Well the predictions in my opinion, from the way I have seen things over the last few days, it seems to be leaning towards the red, but we never take anything for granted. You don?t know until the last vote is counted. But in my opinion, over the last few days it seems to be leaning towards the red.?

Alwyn Smith
?Well, to be honest with you, I had that feeling about approximately two weeks ago, because I know a lot of the P.U.P.?s they are very annoyed, but I think they have made up their mind that they are coming out probably later.?

Jacqueline Woods
?So what are you saying, that people are now leaning towards the red??

Alwyn Smith
?No, no, no, no don?t misinterpret me. It was the People?s United Party that was a bit annoyed for little things that have been happening within the party, but I think the mend it up about two weeks ago. Personally, I was a bit annoyed and we patched up everything already.?

John August, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, San Ignacio
?I think people are looking?the people want better governance throughout the country noh, and so we based our campaign that we, the U.D.P. Seven, will bring good governance. I think the people are looking for that countrywide all over the place and that?s what we based the campaign on.?

Nelson Tillett, PUP Mayoral Candidate, San Ignacio
?Very excited. We?re glad we?re seeing the people come out to support, so looks good.?

Jacqueline Woods
?What do you believe will make you win this election??

Nelson Tillett
?What will make us win, because people know that I am a person for the poor and we have a lot of poor persons come out and vote and they are looking forward for me to assist them in the future.?

Francisco Cruz
?There have been a lot of people who are so called die-hard U.D.P.?s or P.U.P.?s that have declared their support to me. And I know that the better part of these people are not mocking me, that they are serious about what they are saying. Anything else that comes my way is probably going to be a bonus or actually people just coming and giving out that support without actually wanting to reveal themselves to the two political parties, because you know that if you do reveal yourself you then pay the price later. But, so far the response has been great. The only this about it is that I think through the whole course of the day, it been a very constant but very slow turnout of people. I would hope that it actually increases through the afternoon. But so far I feel very positive about it.?

In Benque Viejo, mayoral candidates Gerardo Marconi Sosa and Francisco Trinidad Mendez remain optimistic.

Gerardo Marconi Sosa, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidates, Benque
?Disclosure is not the best ethics at this time, however, the figures look really excellent for us. Our pledges seem to be at the top at this time and that is quite encouraging.?

U.D.P. Supporter
?We are fighting against a very corrupt government, two point five billion dollars in debt and this is the message to Belize, a moral plea to come out and do the right thing, because we can be a great people, standing up against oppression and crime.?

Francisco Trinidad Mendez, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, Benque
?The areas of Benque, it?s a total mess in Benque. The present town council is not doing anything, basically they didn?t do anything for the past six years, so I think that?s the reason why the Benquenos are coming out to vote.?

Jacqueline Woods
?So you think that the town council will turn to blue??

Francisco Trinidad Mendez
?Yes. The town council will definitely turn to blue. By ten o?clock, eleven o?clock tonight I think we should have a winner already. I think it?s gonna be us. We?re gonna be in the town council by twelve tonight, midnight tonight.?

Jacqueline Woods
?So you?re pretty optimistic.?

Francisco Trinidad Mendez
?It is optimistic, it is like ninety percent, it?s looking pretty good.?

P.U.P. Supporter
?I am asking that the people be calm. Benque Viejo has been for six years in a mess under the U.D.P. administration. The people of Benque are tired of this present U.D.P. administration for six years, two consecutive terms and there is nothing done in Benque.?

One sentiment that was thankfully noted by all the candidates and their supporters is that the 2006 municipal elections were free of violent confrontation. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.