Mayor Zenaida Moya wins by wide margin

In Belize City, the seat of political power, the campaign got fiery in the last two weeks with the onslaught of attacks directed at Mayor Zenaida Moya. The United Democratic Party garnered sixty-one percent of the votes cast to retain control of the municipality. Mayor Zenaida Moya managed to pull off a victory over her PUP opponent with more than just a respectable showing at the polls and kept her seat by acquiring eight thousand, seven hundred and fifty-three votes, which was the lowest on her slate and over three thousand less than what she received in 2006. That, in her view, was as a direct result of a persistent onslaught of political attacks she has had to endure. But while that is so, Moya says this time around the victory for her is twice as sweet but now she is a stronger person.

Zenaida Moya, Mayor-Elect, Belize City
“All these challenges, all these blows that came my way has definitely made me stronger, I believe wiser. I believe I’m more experienced now and more capable to do a better job this new term that we have coming in front of us. There has been a lot of attacks definitely on my personality and clearly on my popularity. I think from August onward until March when just before the election every week, almost everyday there were attacks on both my personality and my popularity at that, and everyday taking a beating, taking a beating I think definitely took its toll. I think it could happen to anybody. I’m just glad that at the end of the day with the support of the people I was able to overcome. I hope that we will one day have a more enlightened campaign process whereby we focus on real issues rather than on personalities and personal attacks.”