House meets Wednesday; will P.M. announce elections?
And because of that House Meeting speculation is rife that Prime Minister Said Musa will use the occasion to announce the date of General Elections. That possibility sent News Five’s Janelle Chanona digging into the archives.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
So far in the run up to general elections 2008 there have been fights over signs, creative new political ads, and enough hand shaking and baby kissing to put Santa to shame. But tonight the pundits are taking bets on whether or not Prime Minister Said Musa will announce “the date” during tomorrow’s sitting of the National Assembly.
P.U.P. insiders continue to insist the meeting is only to clean the House of bills waiting for second and final readings. But because the P.M. has already gone
public with…
Prime Minister Said Musa (December 10th, 2007)
“Soon Rosalie, soon. It will be before March.”
Some speculation is that the Belizeans will head to the polls as early as mid-January.
In setting the date, the Prime Minister advises the Governor General when to dissolve the National Assembly. But by law, the Prime Minister doesn’t have to announce that date in the House. In 1998, the U.D.P.s did it at a party conference at the Bird’s Isle.
Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel (July 10th 1998)
“I don’t think there’s any tradition of any Prime Minister announcing the date of elections in the House. It is always done in a forum chosen by the Prime Minister.”
But back in 2003, P.M. Musa did announce his plans in the House during an early presentation of the budget.
Prime Minister Said Musa (January 24th 2003)
“I have therefore decided to advise His Excellency the Governor General to dissolve the National Assembly on February the fourth, 2003, to arrange for Nomination Day to be on February seventeenth and to name as the date for the general elections, Wednesday, March fifth.”
And in August, the man who’s been going hoarse asking for elections is confident his party is reading for the big day.
Dean Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P. (August 14th 2007)
“And so I am satisfied that we are well underway to presenting as united a front as can be expected in any mass party and that we are also well underway to having an election day machine that’s going to be absolutely fighting fit.”
While the political ads have gotten the bulk of the attention, other big news in this year’s campaign was Ralph Fonseca’s announcement that he will contest his seat…
Ralph Fonseca, Area Rep., Belize Rural Central (June 15th 2007)
“We decided that I would continue to run as a candidate for Belize Rural Central, but let me quickly add I want to apologize to all those who felt like I took too long to make that decision, but I had to be sure that it was the right one.”
…the sheer number of third party candidates to choose from…
Paul Morgan, VIP (August 9th 2007)
“Personally, it is the faith in the people. I have faith in myself, I have faith in my family, my friends, and I have faith in you Janelle. I believe that you all will do the right thing. You all have seen the history, if you don’t do it this time, God help us.”
…and of course the Mark and Cordel factor.
A story yet to break is the disturbing fact that there are only two women, both P.U.P.s, on the ballot this time around.
But for now we’ll concede that the men, rather the man, has the spotlight and everyone else is all ears. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
On the issue of exactly how many voters will head to the polls, in March 2003 some seventy-eight point eight percent of registered voters actually cast ballots. This was about what most observers expected, falling well below 1998’s ninety point one percent. That election ten years ago, it must be pointed out, followed on the heels of a re-registration exercise that purged the rolls of voters who had died or left the country, thus contributing to the higher statistical turnout.
