P.U.P. ready to present case for new election in San Pedro
Henry Charles Usher
The national executive of the People’s United Party met earlier today to discuss a range of national and intramural issues, including a legal challenge of the results in San Pedro following the March seventh municipal elections. Having reviewed the voting process, the P.U.P. believes that it has enough to contest the outcome of the election in the Supreme Court. The matter is expected to be filed in the days ahead. During this morning’s caucus other issues were raised. Party Chairman Henry Charles Usher provided a brief update on today’s meeting.
Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, People’s United Party
“I just wanted to let the public know that the party had its first national executive meeting this morning, since the municipal elections, and a number of issues were raised. Primary of course, is the San Pedro issue, what has been going on out there with the results of the municipal elections. And it was decided by the national executive to challenge the results out there, to file an election petition sometime this week. The petition draft is ready, so it’s just a matter of getting everyone to sign and to get the matter filed. What we found, and we had a team out there working since Election Day, and we found a lot of irregularities, a lot of inconsistencies, a lot of the numbers just don’t add up and we believe that these issues form the basis of a very good case that we may have against what happened out there. But I think regardless of what happens with the results in court, it’s important that we fight this thing all the way through because the people of San Pedro, the voters of San Pedro, our party supporters from out there and from all over the country expect the party to take this thing right through to the end. We believe that there are enough issues to deal with that that way.”
Isani Cayetano
“I understand that the party also discussed the state of affairs in Belize City in the wake of what transpired over the weekend.”
Henry Charles Usher
“Well I think a number of issues were raised this morning, as I said, San Pedro was one of them. But we also discussed the K.H.M.H. issue. The party sent out a press release this afternoon on that. We also discussed the crime situation and the escalation in that situation and the lack of a response really, coming from the prime minister and the U.D.P. government because we believe what the prime minister did yesterday was really kind of just shuffling the deck and not offering any real solutions to what’s going on. The party leader and the deputy party leader, Honorable Cordel Hyde will be addressing the nation tomorrow on these issues, and so I’ll leave them to address what the party’s response to what the prime minister said yesterday will be.”
Isani Cayetano
“And finally, the opening up of posts, if I may, for the standard bearers…”
Henry Charles Usher
“Well, as was announced, the re-registration exercise will be starting this year, July first. So we want to have all our leaders in place in the thirty-one constituencies by July first. So the national executive this morning, agreed to open the window for the selection of standard bearers in all thirty-one constituencies by April sixteenth.”
Opposition Leader John Briceño will formally address the media on Tuesday afternoon on the state of crime and violence.
