It is the countdown to the 2015 national elections and within twelve hours, one hundred and ninety-seven thousand voters will head to the polls for the most important elections. On the eve of the elections today, the People’s United Party got its long anticipated and actually demanded look at the proxy register. That demand came […]
The back and forth between the P.U.P. Secretariat and the Elections and Boundaries Department has been ongoing, caused by serious allegations made against that department and against Chief Elections officer Josephine Tamai. Tamai has dismissed it as political mischief, but P.U.P. Secretary General Myrtle Palacio, who is a former Chief Elections Officer, says that it […]
On the eve of the 2015 national elections, the Belize Council of Churches has come out swinging in an attempt to stay above the political fray. Led by Reverend Roosevelt Papouloute, the churches today held an unprecedented press conference in Belize City reacting to an online report written by Chrisbert Garcia on Belize Breaking News. […]
In support of the Council of Churches, Pastor Howell Longsworth, of the Belize Evangelical Association, also calls to question the recklessness by the reporter on the social media site in attacking the leadership of the church for what is political mischief. Howell Longsworth, President, Evangelical Association “My concern is that the desperation of some […]
By this time on Wednesday the polls will have closed and counting will be taking place to determine who will form the next government. The U.D.P. is asking for an unprecedented third term because they say that the best is yet to come. The P.U.P. says that power has been vested in one man for […]
Also in San Ignacio, there was a near-rumble on Monday night following a standoff between supporters of both mass parties in front of the Center for Employment Training. Reports are that the United Democratic Party took control of the area outside that station, cordoning it off with flags and red and white cloth on both […]
The Intelligence Unit of the Economist, an English magazine published in London, produces a number of reports each year focusing on current issues affecting specific countries, regions and industries. The publication recently circulated an article in which the outcome of Belize’s general elections is being forecasted. According to the editorial, the United Democratic Party be […]
Both mass political parties are wrapping up an intensive round of rallies across the country as they head to the polls on November fourth. On Sunday, the P.U.P. held its last in Belize City, featuring Standard Bearers from the city and from the Belize District. For the P.U.P., fighting to get back to Belmopan after […]
On the eve of elections, the Elections and Boundaries Department is reminding employers that by law every voter should be provided with a reasonable time to cast their ballot during the period for voting, and that no employer shall make any deduction from their pay or other remuneration. The Department says there is a fine […]
On Thursday, News Five sat down for an extended interview with Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai. She’s been under intense scrutiny in the days leading up to general elections set for next Wednesday. The pressure is mounting, as the Opposition People’s United Party has issued Tamai with an ultimatum – full access to the proxy […]
Actually, Tamai says that all her officers are under undue pressure leading up to elections. She claims that it’s unfair, because they are all just doing a job and they see no color when on the job. Unfortunately, that’s not the perception in all quarters. There is, in fact, a healthy distrust of the Elections […]
Polls close at six pm on Election Day, and usually results would start coming out hours after – from around ten for the smallest constituency until the early hours of the morning. But things are going to be different this time, because the Elections and Boundaries Office has implemented a new system of simultaneous counting. […]
Depending on which side you ask, there would likely be a prediction of a clean sweep either way. But political observers in the know believe that of the thirty-one seats up for grabs, quite a few will be hard fought. That brings up the question of recounts for those margins that are exceptionally close. Tamai […]
Finally for pre-election coverage tonight, at least where the Elections and Boundaries Department is concerned, Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai confirmed for us that the election will be observed by a team of US Embassy Representatives. They join the O.A.S. observer mission already on the ground. Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer “It’s the U.S. […]
Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai has come under some scrutiny after a letter bearing today’s date accuses her of serious elections irregularities in the last stretch to the November fourth General Elections. In a nutshell, the letter, signed by P.U.P. Cayo Central Campaign Manager Horace Grant, claims that on Tuesday U.D.P. Chairman Alberto August entered […]
Tamai says that whether August had blank proxy forms in his possession or not is not her concern, since the forms are available to the public on their website. But she says that she did not, and would not ask any registering officer to sign blank forms. Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer “I have […]
Finally, Tamai told us that she didn’t realize that August had her on speaker-phone, but denies giving any instructions at all to any Elections and Boundaries staff member through August’s phone. Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer “I did not know anything about being put on speaker phone because whatever it was…and I will tell […]
The People’s United Party has called on the Elections and Boundaries Office to provide transparency where the register of proxy voters is concerned and to allow them to inspect the proxy registers. That’s because the P.U.P. says it has received credible reports of elections shenanigans where proxies are concerned. Today, Tamai explained how the system […]
The two mass political parties, the People’s United Party and the United Democratic Party, launched the manifestos last week. Today, the Belize Progressive party which says it is fielding twenty-five candidates released its manifesto. The B.P.P. is focusing on the family, the health of the nation, economic development as well as foreign policy. News Five’s […]
By this time next week Wednesday, most polls would have been closed around the country for this year’s general elections. Today, the Council of Churches urged all Belizeans to put the interest of the country above and beyond self-interest on November fourth. The council also encourages institutions of law and order to be vigilant, responsible […]
The opposition, People’s United Party disclosed on Tuesday what it calls a secret deal between the Prime Minister of Belize and the Canadian company, Fortis. According to the P.U.P., the secret deal is contained in a comfort statement signed after the settlement was gazetted. In August, the Prime Minister announced at a press conference that […]
If you’re a public officer assigned to work on Election Day, chances are you won’t be able to vote. The same goes for military personnel on duty and members of our diplomatic corps abroad. That’s where proxies come in. Those persons are able to legally appoint someone to vote in their place. But what happens […]
In August of 2015, the Prime Minister announced that he had reached a settlement with Fortis over the nationalization of Belize Electricity Limited. He announced at the time that the deal involved a seventy-million-dollar payment and thirty-three percent of shares to be retained by Fortis. But did Prime Minister Dean Barrow sign a secret agreement […]
Shoman says that the secret agreement serves to indemnify BECOL against any regularity or legal action which may be brought for the next twenty years – and also commits G.O.B. to making good any losses which BECOL may potentially suffer during that period. Lisa Shoman, Senator, People’s United Party “In the event a Court […]
While the People’s United Party was disclosing what it calls a secret deal at Independence Hall, the Prime Minister was at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital attending the handing over of a new unit to the hospital. There, he dismissed the claim that the statement of comfort was not disclosed when he announced the settlement […]
