With football and basketball suffering from internal problems it is clear that Belize’s reigning national sport is politics. And even though the next election is probably two and a half years away, in many areas the streets are full of campaigners. Professionals, as well as part time politicians are busy dispensing promises as well as […]
On March thirty-first two highly regarded candidates will square off in Belize City’s Pickstock Division. At stake is a chance to represent the People’s Untied Party in the next general election in a constituency that has been held by the PUP for as long as anyone can remember. Ann-Marie Williams reports. Ann-Marie Williams “It’s not […]
Three more conventions were held over the weekend to nominate People’s United Party standard bearers for the 2003 general elections. In Toledo East, incumbent representative Mike Espat turned back well known challenger Paul Mahung by a count of six hundred and eighteen to two hundred and sixteen. In Orange Walk South, what was going to […]
The People’s United Party continued to select candidates for the next general election, which will likely not be held for another two and a half years. The most hotly contested convention was held on Sunday in the Caribbean Shores constituency in Belize City. When all nine hundred and ninety-nine votes were counted, incumbent representative and […]
The political convention season continues to blossom and this weekend the focus will be on the Caribbean Shores division. After knocking off Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel in 1998, one would have thought that incumbent representative and Minister of Health Joe Coye would have clear sailing. But no less than three challengers have decided to take […]
It’s only halfway into the government’s five-year term of office, but electoral politics is still very much at the top of the news. On Saturday the United Democratic Party made a show of strength with a march and rally in Belize City. Estimates of the crowd at its peak range from three to four thousand, […]
It is rare that an incumbent representative is defeated in a party convention, but that doesn’t stop aspiring politicians from trying. Today one disgruntled candidate in the Port Loyola division went public with charges that he was unfairly disqualified from running. Joseph Bradley Jr. says that PUP Secretary General, Carlos Espat called him last week […]
Five years ago massive public demonstrations were a key part of the People’s United Party’s strategy to unseat the government in power. Now it’s the United Democratic Party’s turn to test the tactic. On Saturday the UDP is organising a march and rally under the theme “Enough is enough–its time to take a stand.” Party […]
With the exception of a short lived truce in the days of the Maritime Areas Bill, observers of Belize’s history today witnessed an act that generations of their forefathers never got to see: two opposing Belizean political leaders publicly embracing a common policy. News 5’s Stewart Krohn was on hand for the landmark event. Stewart […]
The mayors of Belize’s two cities and seven towns have found out there is some truth to the saying “two heads are better than one.” In this case it’s nine heads because they have collectively formed the Mayors Association which meets once a month to do some problem sharing and solving for their respective municipalities. […]
The House of Representatives last met in July, so when that body convened in Belmopan this morning there was no shortage of legislation to be moved along. Ann-Marie reports from Independence Hill. Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting House Speaker Silvia Flores called the Lower House to order at 10:10 this morning with the National Prayer. That gave […]
Facing a twenty-six to three deficit in the House of Representatives, the opposition United Democratic Party has nothing, if not a long way to go. Today UDP leader Dean Barrow unveiled some new faces in the party hierarchy, which he hopes will energize the rank and file, as well as the voting public. Ann-Marie Williams, […]
Those of us in the news media are generally forced, if only by the nature of our jobs, to know a little bit of what’s happening in the world outside Belize. On the day when voters in the United States of America are electing the man who will become the world’s most powerful citizen, we […]
For his part the opposition leader used the opportunity to zero in on specific government policies that his party found lacking. Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition “The newly revived claim to our country by the Republic of Guatemala is as real as it is unjust. We are thankful that there is a semblance of […]
Tonight’s comedy contest may signal the end of official celebrations, but next week another major milestone will be celebrated by Belize’s ruling political party. On September 29th the People’s United Party marks its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the historic occasion the post office has released a new set of stamps. Elston Wade, Acting Postmaster General […]
“Participate, or stop rail up” is what the government and SPEAR have been telling the public regarding the political reform forum being held tonight at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall. Today News Five spoke to Ward Grant, public information and education coordinator at SPEAR, about what to expect. Ward Grant, Public Info. and Education Coordinator, […]
It can be argued that the heart and soul of Belize lies not in its cities and towns, but in the villages. Yet these communities, accounting for nearly half of the nation’s population, have had little overt impact on national policy making. But that may soon be changing. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Eight months after the […]
From a former Prime Minister to a current Deputy Prime Minister. On Thursday night’s “One on One with Dickie Bradley”, the man in the hotseat was Minister of Natural Resources, Johnny Briceno. While Briceno didn’t make too much mention of News Five’s ongoing investigation of land policy, past and present, he did allude to important […]
PM Musa might have only been back in Belize for a few hours when he met with members of the press on Monday but he had been well briefed on matters making headlines during his absence. One such story was the Social Security Board’s proposed package of reforms and more interestingly, its investment portfolio. Prime […]
On Wednesday, the United Democratic Party sent out a press release concerning an agreement between the Government of Belize and the Belize Electricity Limited. According to the release, under the power purchase agreement, BEL had to take or pay for a minimum of 85 gigawatt hours every year from BECOL, the owners of Mollejon. However, […]
Prime Minister Said Musa was in Spain today improving Belize’s relationship with that country, but we were unable to get any details, as no contact could be made with the Belizean delegation. The press office was able to inform us however, that this afternoon Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Briceno, who had been acting as Prime […]
In news from cabinet that body has expressed concern over the high rate of HIV and AIDS in Belize. The Ministry of Health reported that in 1997 and 1998 AIDS was the 3rd leading cause of death for Belizeans between the ages of 15 and 44. Road traffic accidents topped the list with externally caused […]
Since its privatisation in 1988 the Government of Belize and Belize Telecommunications Ltd. have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship, with the monopoly telecom racking up record profits and GOB reaping hefty tax revenues. The only problem was that it was the consumers of Belize who have been left with empty pockets. But with Prime Minister […]
If you were listening to the radio broadcasts of the House of Representatives today, you probably heard quite a lot of heated discussion on a variety of issues. This morning the man in the hotseat was Minister of Communications and Immigration Maxwell Samuels. The Minister was first asked about the recently concluded amnesty program and […]
Chances of another election before 2003 are slim and the Elections and Boundaries Department is taking advantage of the lull. The department has decided to step fully into the world of technology and totally computerize all its offices after years of repetitive manual data entry. This morning Prime Minister Said Musa was on hand to […]
