Yolanda Schakron’s nomination rejected

The P.U.P. has won consecutive elections in the Lake I division and Yolanda Schakron looked like a winning candidate, but the government on Thursday objected to her nomination because of her dual citizenship. She was in the process of renouncing her US citizenship but in the end, the question was whether or not the registering officer, Noreen Fairweather, had the authority to decide. The opposition rushed to court this morning to save Schakron’s nomination and News Five’s Jose Sanchez has a report of the legal proceedings.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

While the P.U.P. gathered at Berger Field at nine, attorney Lisa Shoman was making a submission at the Supreme Court before Justice Oswald Legall  for an injunction against the returning officer for Lake Independence.  Yolanda Schakron was anticipating a breach of her constitutional rights. Rodwell Williams and Michael Young represented the government. Young argued the application for an injunction was misconceived since at nine a.m. there was no rejection of Schakron’s nomination. After receiving permission for a short adjournment, Shoman exited the courtroom.

Lisa Shoman

Lisa Shoman, Attorney for Yolanda Schakron

“I’m now going to the administration building to see whether my client’s nomination will be refused. We have applied to the court to protect her rights and therefore we are saying it is likely to happen because of the press release that was put out yesterday. We want to be sure of what is occurring. We want to preserve her rights. I will now go and see whether the nomination is accepted. If it is accepted then there is no need for the application before the court today. The judge has agreed and he has granted us that space of time to go and ensure. If it is refused then I will be back to court at 10:30 to start asking the court for an injunction to prevent the returning officer from having Miss Schakron nominated.”

Jose Sanchez

“Okay, but at this point in your opinion, can they reject her today or is it something that…?”

Lisa Shoman

“No! in my opinion they cannot because that is something that should go to the Supreme Court not to a returning officer.”

At ten-thirty Shoman exited the Charles Hyde Complex.

Jose Sanchez

“Miss Shoman what has happened now that you are coming out? Has Miss Schakron’s candidacy been rejected?”

Lisa Shoman

“No, the returning officer has taken the objection. She has listened to the submissions. I have made counter submissions to her and she is asking for some time so she can consider what both parties have said to her before she makes a decision.”

Jose Sanchez

“How does it affect your ten-thirty appearance which is now in Court?”

Lisa Shoman

“I am going back to court now.”

So, rushing back to court without a decision, Shoman was then accompanied by attorney Magali Marin.  But they were soon joined in court by Yolanda Schakron after the objection to her nomination was allowed by the Returning Officer. P.U.P. supporters then flooded Battlefield Park where they were confronted by heavily armed officers. Inside the court the chants of ‘we want Schakron’ could be visibly heard. But the arguments rested not on emotion but on Section 58 (1A) of the constitution, an election petition, the interpretation of what it means to be a duly qualified candidate, and more importantly whether or not the returning officer operated within the boundaries of the law.

But by two thirty in the afternoon all hopes were lost as Justice Legall rejected the application for the injunction. Schakron was moved to tears as this marked an end to her Lake I campaign.

Lisa Shoman

“The returning officer has exercised powers that we say she does not have. The court declined to grant an injunction because she had already exercised the power she has. The court believes that there is a right to look at section 58 when the law clearly only speaks of objections to the nomination paper. We’re saying that all other issues should go to the Supreme Court and not to an electoral officer. It is very interesting that the government has taken this route to take out what they think is a strong candidate. And they must or they would not have made the heroic efforts we had this morning. We are very confident that not only was this ruling not the correct one, but that we will be moving it forward. This is something that will be decided on behalf of Belize for all Belizeans. And what the media now needs to ask is who have been sitting in the House of Representatives with dual citizenship. Because the step that Misses Schakron has taken and will continue t take is an irrevocable step—she cannot go back on her renunciation. She had already—and this was pointed out to the returning officer by me—she has already taken the steps that were needed to show that she is no longer under allegiance to a foreign power. Even if she is no longer a candidate today, she cannot and she will not take back the step of renouncing her citizenship.”

Jose Sanchez

“Even moving it forward at four p.m.; that is the end of nomination day, she can’t…”

Lisa Shoman

“At four p.m. that is the end of the process; however, Mark King does not need to celebrate because it doesn’t end here. There is still the ability for us to take the procedure of challenging that decision that she has made, there is still the procedure of requiring an election judge to look at this and to see if the result is set aside because she should have been allowed to have been nominated and if the court says that; there will be a bi-election. And if there is a bi-election, I think you can see by the crowd that Yolanda Schakron will be returned as Lake I representative.”

Yolanda Schakron

Yolanda Schakron

“Thank you for the support of the Belizean people. I am a Belizean and I will continue working with the poor people of Lake I. I have seen the suffering, I have seen the pain, I have seen the crying of the homeless mothers, of the mother who have no husbands, no one to help them; I have seen the cries of the single mothers. Dean Barrow obviously has a problem with women holding office in the House of Representatives. But you know what; today he had to send his law partner, all the bigwigs against me. Me—one single mother, one woman, who grew up in the Southside. I want every Belizean woman to come out on March the seventh and vote against the vindictive, evil Dean Barrow and the U.D.P. government.”

Jose Sanchez

“Miss Schakron, nomination day ends at four p.m. today, how does this affect your relationship with Lake I? What is your next move?”

Yolanda Schakron

“I am in Belize to stay. Dean Barrow, the only way you can get rid of me dah if you kill me.”

Adele Ramos, Amandala

“Would you be willing to support another candidate should your party suggest that somebody else should go ahead with the nomination today?”

Yolanda Schakron

“Definitely because I will not allow Mark King to represent the people of Lake I.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.