UDP rallies supporters in Belize City march

It’s only halfway into the government’s five-year term of office, but electoral politics is still very much at the top of the news. On Saturday the United Democratic Party made a show of strength with a march and rally in Belize City. Estimates of the crowd at its peak range from three to four thousand, not bad for a party which holds only three of twenty-nine seats in the House of Representatives. On the other side of the aisle, the People’s United Party held the first pair of special conventions to choose standard bearers for the 2003 general elections. In Corozal Bay, veteran incumbent Vildo Marin easily won the nomination over Ray Rodriguez, while in Belize Rural North, Minister of Public Utilities, Max Samuels, similarly overwhelmed challenger Dwight Gillett. The PUP will nominate candidates in all constituencies by the end of September. The UDP is engaging in a similar process.