Opposition Leader Says U.D.P. Government is Trying to Oppress Voters

John Briceño

Opposition Leader John Briceño says that the right of Belizeans to exercise their franchise and vote on November eleventh should not be stripped away. Prime Minister Dean Barrow has announced that persons who are COVID-19 positive will not be allowed to vote, but there has been no legislation to show this can happen.  In many sectors, this decision is seen as unconstitutional. Briceño agrees. He says that he will be writing to the Prime Minister, recommending procedures be implemented to allow all Belizeans to cast their vote. 

John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition

“I think that the U.D.P. is using the pandemic, they are trying to use that to their advantage and why do I say this? I think it is a nefarious plan on the part of the UDP, trying to suppress the vote. Yes we have all these cases, there are a total of about two thousand patients or people who have been tested positive. Not all of them are positive anymore remember. A lot of them have gotten better. But the U.D.P. is saying because these people can get people sick we are not allowing them to vote. The underlying message that they are trying is you know don’t waste your time because are out there because you can get sick because they know that the U.D.P. does not want to go and vote. So any person that they can discourage from going to vote that would potentially vote for the P.U.P. is a plus for them. So it is not so much about the COVID-19 patients. It s really about discouraging Belizeans from going oin to vote. That is why I am telling you need to go and vote.”