When political scientists look at election statistics they invariably search for small geographic areas that produce voting results representative of the nation as a whole. Such areas are called bell weather districts and by watching them we may get some idea of what will happen in the rest of the country. For the last several […]
The final statistics are out and, not surprisingly, they show that a record number of Belizeans have registered to vote. A total of one hundred fifty-six thousand, nine hundred and thirty-three people are on the rolls, amounting to over ninety-seven percent of those eligible. Men outnumber women by approximately two thousand, five hundred, a difference […]
Orange Walk: the district where electoral spirits are perhaps running higher than anywhere else in the country. So in the final few days of the campaign what better place to profile. Tonight, News Five’s Ann-Marie Williams reports from Orange Walk Central. John Briceño, P.U.P. Candidate, O.W. Central “I have the confidence in the people of […]
Broken promises are a staple of electoral politics but our lead story tonight is not about a politician who made unfulfilled pledges to voters. Instead it’s about a candidate who’s suing his party over its failure to financially support his campaign. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports. Romeo Magana, Suing N.R.P. “They said for me to […]
It’s a division that cannot be considered safe for either major party … and in 2008 two well known candidates are having a fight to the finish. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports from the campaign trail in Belize City. Janelle Chanona, Reporting In the public’s mind, lawyers are not always be there most popular professionals […]
While the two attorneys fight in Freetown, next door in Caribbean Shores two other professionals—an educator and accountant—are squared off in a conflict of equal intensity. Ann-Marie Williams visited with both campaigns. Jose Coye, P.U.P. Incumbent, Caribbean Shores “We have gone out there, we have filled the soil, planted the seed, we have nurtured the […]
A purloined email has cast doubt on the credibility of a poll released on Monday by a pair of university researchers. Dr. Joseph Iyo of the University of Belize and Galen’s Marion Cayetano told journalists at a press conference that the poll, which showed the P.U.P. running six points ahead of the U.D.P., had been […]
But aside from any possible political contamination, real or imagined, the question of the poll’s methodology has not gone unchallenged. The biggest criticism is that of sampling. Unlike the SPEAR poll, which selected phone numbers at random, the Iyo/Cayetano pollsters simply approached people in various localities to which they were assigned. At Monday’s presentation Reynaldo […]
A team of election observers is due to arrive in the country on Friday. According to a Commonwealth press release, the three person Expert Team, headed by former Jamaican Foreign Minister K.D. Knight, will observe the election preparations, voting, counting and delivery of the results, as well as the overall electoral environment. The other members […]
In our last newscast we took a look at Belize City’s Pickstock division, a constituency so small that on a windy day you could probably kick a football from one end to the other. Today Ann-Marie Williams reports from the other end of the geographic spectrum in Stann Creek West. Rodwell Ferguson, P.U.P. Incumbent, Stann […]
There’s still a week to go until election day and by now most Belizeans have heard the respective campaign songs so many times that you’re either singing along … or covering your ears. But whether you think the tunes are sickening or sweet, it’s a good bet that the beats are here to stay. News […]
It’s a constituency that’s never gone anything but blue … but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates from campaigning as if the election could hinge on a single vote. And guess what? In 2008 anything’s possible. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports from the Pickstock Division. Godfrey Smith, P.U.P. Candidate, Pickstock “I think I have established […]
For the last few years the conventional wisdom, based on the results of municipal elections and reinforced by various public opinion polls, has the Peoples United Party as a definite underdog in the upcoming general elections. But a new poll, taken over the weekend and released this morning turns that expectation upside down. News Five’s […]
In terms of Belizean municipal geography we have the new capital, the old capital … and the culture capital. And it’s in that southern town where we tonight find News Five’s Ann-Marie Williams on the campaign trail. Cassian Nunez, P.U.P. Candidate, Dangriga “The confidence is there definatley but elections are won on election day as […]
In political news, Belpac, the Orange Walk based non partisan civic group, has announced that the debate scheduled for January thirty-first has been cancelled. According to a press release issued this morning, both the P.U.P. and U.D.P. backed out, saying that they would have had inadequate time to prepare. As recently as last week both […]
Our campaign coverage continues tonight in the Belize Rural South constituency, which is made up of the islands off the Belize district. Ann-Marie Williams reports from the division’s largest community, San Pedro town. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting The election campaign in San Pedro Town is in its homestretch and judging from the amount of red and […]
Based on their past public opinion polls, the results were not exactly unexpected, and SPEAR’s latest research, conducted less than a month before the election, predicts victory for the opposition United Democratic Party. But, as News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports, the numbers don’t stop there. Janelle Chanona Between January eighteenth and the twenty-first SPEAR pollsters […]
On last night’s newscast we reported that ninety-three candidates had signed on the dotted line and paid their deposits for the February seventh general election. Tonight News Five’s Janelle Chanona has their names. In the Freetown Division, the P.U.P.’s Francis Fonseca squares off against Michael Peyrefitte of the U.D.P., with Jorge Ernesto Babb as an […]
And in other campaign news, it appears that there will be at least one formal political debate … and it will take place in Orange Walk. A release from BELPAC, Belizeans Promoting Active Citizenship, reports that last night the local civic group met with representatives of the P.U.P., U.D.P., and N.R.P. and agreed to debate […]
It’s a constituency rich in history, encompassing a major city of the ancient Maya as well as the prime logwood swamps so favoured by the early Baymen. But tonight Belize Rural North is in the news, not because of its past, but because of its future. Ann-Marie Williams reports from the campaign trail. Ann-Marie Williams, […]
There may be voters who will sit down and actually read both major party manifestos, weigh the relative merits of the two documents, ascertain their commitment to implement the proposals … and then cast their ballots accordingly. But if such voters exist, we’ve yet to find them. These days political manifestos are more about the […]
And speaking of candidates, we are reliably informed that the total number of people nominated in the nation’s thirty-one electoral constituencies is ninety-three. The Peoples’ United Party and the United Democratic Party each fielded a full slate while the National Reform Party and Vision Inspired by the People put forward eleven each. The National Belizean […]
There are thirty-one constituencies that will elect representatives next month but by no means are they all identical. The areas vary greatly, both in population and physical size. So while some urban candidates can walk the length and breadth of their division in less than an hour, others in certain districts may take days … […]
The nation may be in mourning but life—particularly political life—marches inexorably forward. Today, in case you missed it, was nomination day, the day each candidate does his or her best to convince the media, the public—and in some cases himself—that victory is at hand. Our coverage begins with News Five’s Ann-Marie Williams and the People’s […]
The United Democratic Party presented their city candidates for nomination in the afternoon. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports that, not surprisingly, the mood was upbeat. Janelle Chanona, Reporting This afternoon Mahogany Street was ablaze in red as the thirty-one candidates of the United Democratic Party made their way to the Administration Building to be nominated. […]
