PM Barrow: U.D.P. Doesn’t Wish to Postpone General Elections

Dean Barrow

A lawsuit in which government is being sued by several parties, including the Belize Peace Movement, the People’s United Party and Lord Michael Ashcroft, is presently before the Supreme Court where an international expert will be called in to provide input in the matter.  The claim, in respect of an urgent need for a redistricting exercise to be undertaken prior to the next general elections in November, was filed prior to the retirement of former Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin, on the grounds there is huge disparity in the number of voters in the different constituencies.  Even as the case is before the courts, the matter of the timing is critical since national elections are due in November. Re-districting, says the prime minister says, is not the wish of his party.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Anyway, and what I find peculiar, an extremely intriguing feature of all this is that part of the relief that the parties, including Lord Ashcroft are asking in consequence of their challenge is that elections be postponed.  And who do you think is representing Lord Ashcroft in this petition?  Andrew Marshalleck.  Is he not either the, or one of the official lawyers for the People’s United Party?  The People’s United Party wants the elections postponed.  Sir, I don’t know whether there is time enough for this case to be heard and determined before what continues, in my mind to be the due date for elections.  But people must know that if the claimants succeed then there will, as a matter of what’s practical, have to be a postponement of the elections so that the redistricting exercise which doesn’t take a week or two weeks or three weeks or a month so that that exercise can be finished.  It is not the wish of the United Democratic Party, the current administration to postpone elections.”