The polls have just closed in the Cayo North by-election where Omar Figueroa of the U.D.P. and Richard Harrison of the P.U.P. contested the elections. The voter’s turnout at five o’clock stood at fifty-three point four percent, the six o’clock report will not be delivered until later this evening when the Returning Officer, Marcelo Winsor, […]
The overwhelming presence of elected officials, including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the P.U.P., as well as political aspirants from both major parties in Cayo North today is a tour de force of support for Harrison and Figueroa. And as we said, while a win for either of the two organizations won’t tip […]
The results of the bye-election, as Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca also attests, will indicate, in some measure, what will take place at the polls in the March municipals. In the aftermath, Fonseca says that the party will carefully go over today’s exercise to see where it can further prepare for the elections ahead. Francis […]
There is an update to today’s by-election in Cayo North. Sixty-two percent of six thousand, five hundred and ninety-eight registered turned up to cast their ballots during today’s election. That figure represents a total of four thousand, sixty-three voters. While the reconciliation process is now ongoing, the overall attendance at the polls has been described […]
According to Harrison, notwithstanding the less than remarkable numbers, he is confident that his brief campaign efforts will secure a victory for the People’s United Party. Mike Rudon “Richard it is midday. What are you seeing? Half of the day has gone. What are you seeing in terms of figures?” Richard Harrison, P.U.P. […]
If you didn’t know there was a very significant election planned in Cayo North, you’d be hard-pressed to guess from the amount of political activity. Maybe it’s the timing, maybe it’s the Christmas and New Year lethargy…but whatever it is, there doesn’t seem to be the passion, fire, energy or urgency we generally associate with […]
The 2015 Cayo North bye-election is less than a week away and candidates for both major parties are hitting the pavement during the final days of a rather brief political campaign. The six thousand plus voters will vote at Sacred Heart School and in Bullet Tree on January fifth immediately after the New Year’s celebrations. […]
P.U.P. Secretary General and former Chief Elections Officer, Myrtle Palacio, says Bruce’s untimely transfer is questionable since it precedes very closely the upcoming bye-election. The move, she says, is contrary to good governance and only serves to further politicize the election process. Myrtle Palacio, Former Chief Elections Officer “We find it very suspicious, as […]
A huge part of the argument is an allegation that U.D.P. Chairman Alberto August was reportedly seen inside the elections office in Cayo North over the weekend. It is suspected that he may have visited the office to retrieve binders containing voter information. Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, P.U.P. “When we got the information about […]
The People’s United Party says it is still awaiting confirmation on the whereabouts of U.D.P. Chairman Alberto August who they claim was seen inside the elections office in Cayo North on Saturday. It is a bold claim, one in which August is being accused of political interference in the process leading up to Monday’s bye-elections. […]
The by-election in Cayo North is scheduled for January fifth, 2014. On December twenty-second, 2014, three days before Christmas, the Registering Officer for that division, Jerrylyn Bruce, received a letter from the Elections and Boundaries Department informing her of her transfer out, effective December twenty-third. Now even without the looming by-election, the sudden transfer of […]
Traditionally, by mid-December every year all attention is focused on things Christmas-related…and that lasts up to the day after New Year’s. That’s been pretty much the case this year, even though in just a week there’ll be a significant by-election in Cayo North. For the P.U.P., their candidate is the underdog, trying to pull off […]
As we said, the Opposition is not on board with the agreements. The P.U.P. issued a release earlier acknowledged that the opposition has participated in the bilateral discussions and negotiations, but that consultations should have been taken place before any agreement could be penned. The P.U.P. says that it “takes the position that because of […]
Immediately following the signing of the agreements, Prime Minister Barrow responded to the P.U.P. position on the thirteen agreements with Guatemala. He was quizzed by the media in Placencia on whether any constitutional constraint would interfere with the implementation of the agreements. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “There might be legal questions, but I am […]
It is slightly more low-key and there were no bells and whistles when the People’s United Party endorsed its eleven candidates for the March Belize City Council elections. The launch took place at the party’s headquarters, Independence Hall. The P.U.P. says the team has no distractions and is dedicated to making Belize City better and […]
There is a lot of speculation that Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley is calling it quits and that there is growing friction between him, councilors and his party. In fact, the mayor has says that he has been overruled more than once by his councilors. He has gone further to say that the agreement to […]
Even as the Petrocaribe money continues to roll, the initiative continues to generate criticism. Actually it’s not the initiative, per se, but the priorities of the government which controls the coffers and holds the purse-strings. There’s been a lot of talk about Mother’s Day Cheer and Mortgage Cheer and Christmas Cheer, but one representative says […]
According to Requeña, he has raised many issues in the National Assembly, but apparently nobody on the government side is listening. So he’s using the media in an attempt to get some attention because in this case, he says, the South really has become the forgotten district. Oscar Requeña, P.U.P. Area Representative, Toledo West […]
Last week, the Vision Inspired by the People protested in Belmopan to draw attention to perceived corruption in government, and the need for the Integrity Commission to become a real and functioning body. One focus of their attention is on a little followed law that all elected officials, including the Speaker of the House and […]
Will Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley be a part of the U.D.P. team when municipal elections roll around in March? That’s the question everybody’s asking, including the U.D.P. The P.U.P. says they’re not thinking about that right now, because they’re working to win the by-election in Cayo North. And when the campaign for municipals does […]
Elections in Cayo North will be held on January fifth, as the P.U.P.’s Richard Harrison goes up against the U.D.P.’s Omar Figueroa. The odds are stocked firmly against Harrison, who was endorsed by the P.U.P. and entered the race only two weeks ago. Omar Figueroa has been the U.D.P. caretaker since February 2014, so he […]
Late last week, P.U.P. Deputy Leader Julius Espat announced that he would be refusing the U.D.P.’s Christmas Cheer, even after the Party as an executive decided to accept it. Instead, Espat claims he raised the money from other sources so while the people of the area would still receive assistance at Christmas time, it wouldn’t […]
P.U.P. Deputy Leader Julius Espat will not be participating in the Petrocaribe-sponsored Christmas cheer program. Through that political initiative, all U.D.P. Area Reps will allegedly be receiving one hundred and ten thousand dollars. All P.U.P. Area reps should receive thirty-five thousand, which is the same amount collected by unelected U.D.P. caretakers. The P.U.P. made the […]
So where does this go from here? The Mayor has put his foot down, and so has the Prime Minister. Who will win that cock-fight is a no-brainer, but the Mayor does have the option of just resigning on principle. In the past weeks there have been reliable reports that the Mayor has considered backing […]
The Christmas Cheer monies have been disbursed, we hear, thanks to Petrocaribe. News Five understands that U.D.P. Area Representatives have gotten one hundred and ten thousand dollars…P.U.P. Area representatives have gotten thirty-five thousand dollars, and even U.D.P. caretakers have gotten in on the bounty. It’s a mass political handout with only the very faintest appearance […]
