Florencio Marin Jr. Retains Seat in Corozal South East
There was a complete flip in the Corozal District where the United Democratic Party held on to only one seat in Corozal North, where the U.D.P.’s Hugo Patt reigns supreme. So in addition to the Bay, the P.U.P. also captured Corozal South West where Ramiro Ramirez returns as elected representative. In Corozal South East, Florencio Marin Junior easily retained his seat by a margin of seven hundred and eighty-nine votes in a constituency that has never strayed from the blue. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Miriam Codd
Miriam Codd, Returning Officer, Corozal South East
“Mister Marin received the most votes of a total of votes casted for six thousand seventy-six. The number of votes casted in this poll was fourteen by Edna Doris Diaz; fifty-five for Eloim Ellis, two thousand six fourteen for Antonio “Tony” Herrera and the majority, three four one three for Florencio Julian Marin Junior. Therefore I congratulate the member and it is my pleasure to return him to the House of Representatives.”
Duane Moody, Reporting
…and just like that, Florencio Marin Junior was returned as area representative for the Corozal South East division, having held that seat since 2008 when he succeeded his father in that constituency. Following the announcement, Marin Junior said:
Florencio Marin Jr.
Florencio Marin Jr., Area Rep., Corozal South East
“I wanna thank the people of Corozal South East for holding the fort; they have never gone red and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart because this division was targeted by the U.D.P.; it was targeted. They put in a lot of transfers and a lot of finance and they were unsuccessful. The people of Corozal South East stood firm; they are not for sale.”
While we were unable to get a comment from his political opponent following the counting, earlier in the day Antonio “Tony” Herrera, of the United Democratic Party, said that he had started campaigning three years ago – touching base with constituents. But, did his COVID-positive status impact his ability to get the voters to put that X beside his name?
Antonio “Tony” Herrera
Antonio “Tony” Herrera, U.D.P. Candidate, Corozal South East
“I am a COVID-19 recovered patient and I know what it is to have COVID-19 so we are taking a lot of precautions to take out the voters. One of my strategies was to start an early campaign. I have been in the area for three to four years and that’s one of the new strategies that I bring to the area. We have been assisting people personally and also with the social assistance from the government.”
With the stagnation of economic activity in the north, due to the closure of casinos and the free zone, as well as the growing poverty level and the COVID-19 reality on the ground, what’s the next move? Marin Junior says the reopening of the zone by Christmas is among the measures that will be taken.
Florencio Marin Jr.
“After twelve years, after the greatest bonanza the previous government had—Petrocaribe and all that—now where is this country? Are we anywhere ahead? We can’t blame COVID-19; even before COVID-19, we never grew one bit and the statistics showed, the economy never grew. Complete mismanagement, complete corruption. First of all in Corozal, we are going to reopen the free zone by Christmas. We are going to have to help with the agriculture sector, especially the cane industry up here. We gonna have to help the fisheries industry up here. We are going to try to bring back the papaya [industry] that they chased away. We got a lotta work to do up here.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
