The P.U.P. finds itself in a conundrum tonight, days after it turned sixty-one. John Briceño officially stepped down today as leader of the opposition in the House and on the eve of the deadline for the leadership of the party, the interim leader, Mark Espat, has decided he will not be running for leader even […]
On the political front, this Wednesday is the deadline for the submission of names for the P.U.P. leadership. We note that the Interim Leader, Mark Espat, is yet to put his name on the ballot because he is working on a financing plan before any announcement is made. It is also known that should Espat […]
The candidacy of attorney Arthur Saldivar for the P.U.P. leadership doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Within the confines of the P.U.P. caucuses, there have been calls for him to step down. The Order of Distinguished Service, which is the arm of the P.U.P. that vets candidates, has gone further than talk. The ODS has […]
Turning to politics, the National Executive of the People’s United Party met today at Independence Hall with Mark Espat as interim leader. The attendance was almost perfect, except for the former party leader, John Briceño and his brother Jaime who are scheduled to return to the country today. The meeting concluded just before noon and […]
The dust is beginning to settle following the resignation of John Briceño last Friday as the leader of the People’s United Party that led to the ascension of Mark Espat, as the interim leader. The bid for leadership of Belize Rural North standard Bearer, Arthur Saldivar, has failed to ignite any excitement or following within […]
The sudden resignation of John Briceño as leader of the P.U.P. sent shockwaves through the party and was all the buzz going into the long weekend. Insiders and political observers are still reeling from the resignation that is changing the entire dynamics of the opposition party. Briceño surprised even his closest advisors when he broke […]
With thirty days to go, the Belize Rural North Standard Bearer and political novice, Arthur Saldivar, has promptly announced that he intends to contest the leadership of the P.U.P. Political insiders point out that Saldivar who has won neither a convention nor an election. They see his bid as a transparent move set up by […]
Orange Walk Central People’s United Party Leader John Briceño resigned today. Briceño became the leader of the P.U.P. in March of 2008. The Orange Walk Central standard bearer brought hopes to his party members that he could win the next General Elections against the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.). But three years and seven months later […]
Briceño remains as the elected representative of Orange Walk Central. But his departure as Leader of the Opposition did not escape the ears of Prime Minister Dean Barrow. In addition to recognizing Briceño as a likeable person outside the political arena, Barrow also commented on the P.U.P.’s viewpoint on the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. […]
The current U.D.P. City Council has had its own share of infighting and scandals since it took office in 2006. Garbage and finances have been at the top of their perennial problems. But with municipal elections scheduled for March 2012, the United Democratic Party today put on a brave face when it presented its slate […]
The peaceful and constructive Belizean revolution was the mantra of the late father of the nation, the Right Honorable George Price. The evolution of the People’s United Party was captured by past editors of THE BELIZE TIMES. An exhibition on the history of the newspaper and its yearly headlines on September twenty-first, opened this morning […]
On September twenty-ninth, 1950 the late Right Honorable George Price, along with other nationalists, formed the People’s United Party, the oldest political organization in Belize’s history. The P.U.P. would go on to win numerous elections and was defeated for the first time in 1984. It was pivotal in shaping the country’s political landscape. Sixty-one years […]
The Ninth Amendment public consultations are clearly drawn along party lines. Supporters of the government offer blind support while those that back the blue vehemently oppose. It’s a recipe for contention and on Wednesday evening in Dangriga, it got pretty heated and confrontational. The U.D.P.s Minister Melvin Hulse was ahead in the queue while the […]
There are thousands of voters in Port Loyola. It’s one of the largest constituencies in Belize City and every vote counts for P.U.P.’s Gilroy Usher and U.D.P.’s incumbent Anthony Boots Martinez. Boots won the division hands down in the last elections and this morning, the P.U.P. standard bearer, flanked by supporters, took on the Elections […]
The 2012 Municipal elections are about seven months away and the political parties are about to put their campaign into full throttle. The first rumblings of political fervor were felt at the IT-VET compound where the United Democratic Party held its City Council convention. Three of the current city councilors did not contest the elections […]
The next Municipal elections will test the popularity of the ruling party, which controls all municipalities. It is also a precursor to the landscape of the next general elections. In the City, the red council has gone from scandal to scandal and will have a tough time convincing city residents that they deserve their votes […]
There’s more opposition to the proposed ninth amendment to the constitution and its coming from the People’s United Party. The P.U.P. is the most recent organization to come out against the amendment. While the P.U.P. acknowledges the government’s power to entrench control of utilities in the constitution, it says that the remainder of the bill […]
Over the weekend on the island of San Pedro, the People’s United Party had a head start with its slate of candidates who will contest town council elections in March of 2012. Friends and supporters of the PUP gathered to meet the Blue Team. PUP Chairman, Milo Paz presented the team led by Conchita Valdez […]
On Wednesday night the P.U.P. Standard Bearer of the Cayo West Division, Oscar Sabido spoke of the lack of developmental infrastructure in that constituency. As a result, Sabido said he is bringing an economist to assess the Cayo West with the objective of formulating a policy for economic development. Oscar Sabido, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Cayo […]
Before the prime minister introduced the constitutional amendment, the House sitting opened with an unusual sight and it came from area rep, Marcel Cardona, who has been banished to a seat on the opposition side. During the last sitting of the House on July fourth, a member of the gallery, an avid supporter of the […]
Turning to the proposed constitutional amendments that were introduced in the House of Representatives on May thirteenth. The Leader of the Opposition on Monday wrote to Minister Patrick Faber as Chairman of the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee. John Briceño says that the P.U.P. is not in support of the amendment on preventative detention and […]
The City Council and municipal elections are months away. The conventional wisdom is that the results will be a barometer of the 2013 general elections. Both parties are already gearing for the local elections. It is known that for the U.D.P., attorney Darrel Bradley will be unopposed in his bid for mayor since Councilor Philip […]
The People’s United Party did not attend the Special House sitting when the Government acquired Belize Electricity Limited on June twentieth and its parliamentarians walked out of the House this Monday when the Barrow Administration re-acquired Telemedia. Their viewpoint on the government acquisitions was found in press releases but the party’s position on whether or […]
During Monday’s Special Sitting of the House, Prime Minister Dean Barrow gave a close replay of his 2009 speech when he first nationalized Telemedia and chastised Briceño’s family for selling business interests in SMART to companies related to Lord Michael Ashcroft. Briceño explained that there is nothing illegal with that, and instead he turned the […]
After discussing nationalization and the rule of law, the crime wave sweeping the country also came up at the P.U.P. conference this morning. The increasing body count and casualties became a solemn but passionate topic for the party. Attorney Anthony Sylvester rose to speak about the anti-crime initiatives, particularly preventative detention, which he believes will […]
