PM Barrow Satisfied with Re-registration Exercise
About one hundred and forty-eight thousand persons re-registered and are eligible to vote on Wednesday. Voters will flock to three hundred and forty-four polling stations across the thirty-one constituencies. The number of persons, who successfully re-registered, amounts to seventy-two percent when compared to the old voters’ list. During the re-registration exercise, several persons across the country complained they were not able to register and blamed the Vital Statistics Unit. Meanwhile, Diasporans will not vote since they were not able to meet the two months residency requirement and Government refused to make provisions to accommodate Belizeans living abroad. We asked Prime Minister Dean Barrow if he is satisfied with the voters’ list.
Hipolito Novelo
“Sir, are you satisfied with the voters’ list, the re-registration exercise? Are you satisfied that now the voters’ list closer represents a true electorate?”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I think so. Of course it is a work in progress so a whole lot of people still didn’t register but I think so.”
Hipolito Novelo
“The diaspora.”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I wasn’t talking about the diaspora Sir.”
Hipolito Novelo
“But they weren’t able to re-register because of the…”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“But there are those who say that that is how it should be. I’m not going to get in that particular controversy but as I said upstairs you have arguments on both sides and I don’t know that this is time to get into those arguments because the fact is that the referendum is Wednesday. They have not been able to register. They will not be able to vote. Let’s move on and perhaps rethink it when all of this is over.”
John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition
“We still have thousands of Belizeans being kept off the voter register. Is it right that legitimate Belizeans who want to vote are disallowed due to no fault of their own? What about all these Belizeans in the Diaspora who so love our country, who contribute millions to our economy and feel it their patriotic duty to participate in this referendum. They too were not given consideration by the UDP. Every one of their elected representatives voted no to even debate where Belizeans abroad should participate in Wednesday’s referendum.”
