153 aspirants to 67 available seats

And by the close of nomination today, both political parties, the U.D.P. and P.U.P., had fielded candidates to all seats to be contested on March fourth, sixty-seven in all. But in Punta Gorda, the story is different. The incumbent council is headed by a P.U.P. mayor and the councilors are U.D.P. And in this coming election, four candidates are aspiring to that mayoral seat including one from the P.N.P., which is also fielding a full slate for councilors, and one independent. In Garden City Belmopan, the V.I.P. is also aspiring to all seats including the mayoral. Independent candidates meanwhile are contesting in Corozal, Cayo, Stann Creek and Punta Gorda Towns so that all in all, according to data available to News Five, there is a total of one hundred and fifty-three candidates to the sixty-seven seats around the country.