Attorney General Says Bye-election is a Go in Concepcion

A bye-election will be held in the northern community of Concepcion on January fourteenth, following the resignation of a village councilor who stepped down to challenge the leadership of the council.  Despite attempts to rescind the resignation, the attorney general has advised the Elections and Boundaries Department to proceed with the nomination and bye-election process.  U.D.P. Party Leader Shyne Barrow commented on the AG’s decision to advise in favor of the bye-election.

Shyne Barrow

Shyne Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P.

“There is a constant attempt to insert politics into the Elections and Boundaries [Department] and this was no different.  The councilor that ran against our UDP chairman in Concepcion, congratulations to him, resigned in order to run as chair.  They want to claim, after they lost, a month and change later that. “Oh, well, she didn’t have to resign to run.”  That’s not our problem, she resigned.  A resignation is a resignation, whether you had to or you didn’t have to, you resigned.  So the Elections and Boundaries, when you set a bye-election date, they were quite in order.  They were following the law.  There was a resignation which caused a vacancy and now we need to fill that vacancy.  So now the political operatives come and say, no, no, we rescind the resignation, no bye-election.  Again, fear and corruption, but more so fear.  But we are not afraid, we want a bye-election because we will win the bye-election next Sunday because the people of this country have had enough of the People’s United Party and they know that.  So they don’t want a bye-election.  So what you see in Concepcion, in Corozal Southwest is the People’s United Party attempting to avert a bye-election.  But I am thankful that the attorney general gave the only advice that he could possibly give which is that the seat was vacant.  There was a resignation, you can’t rescind a resignation.  Whether you were supposed to resign or not or if you had to, it doesn’t matter.  So we are pleased that the attorney general gave sound advice and this did not turn into another Portico scandal where legal advice, this legal advice and that legal advice comes and nobody follows senses.”