Almost a quarter century after he made his first foray into electoral politics, Said Musa has become only the third man to hold the title of Prime Minister of Belize. And he did it in convincing fashion, his People’s United Party winning twenty-six out of twenty-nine seats in the House of Representatives and amassing a […]
And while the “que vivas” were flowing on Queen Street, around the corner the mood on Daly Street was considerably less upbeat. Still, the defeated U.D.P. leader, in reading a prepared statement, made it clear that retirement is not a likely option. Manuel Esquivel, Leader, U.D.P. “This is a statement coming from myself and the […]
To anyone who was involved in Thursday’s election or followed the action on Television or radio, it was apparent early on that a drama of major proportions was being played out on the national stage. News Five’s Patrick Jones had a front and center seat for the performance. When the polls opened at seven o’clock […]
For those viewers who may have followed Thursday night’s results but were too elated or dejected to record the numbers we’ll run through them one time for the record. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods will do the honors for the two major parties. The twenty-six constituencies won by the P.U.P. went as follows: Caribbean Shores: Jose […]
Barring some unlikely but interesting political possibilities, come Friday morning the Prime Minister of Belize will be named either Manuel Esquivel or Said Musa. News Five’s Patrick Jones takes a quick look at the two men who are asking us for our support. The next Prime Minister of Belize will be one of these gentlemen. […]
Some candidates have been preparing for tomorrow’s election for over five years… while others have had less than five months. But however long they have been preparing, the eighty-two candidates running for the House of Representatives were all busy today trying to win over that one last voter. I caught up with a few of […]
After several months of waiting for each side to deliver a surprise knockout blow in the form of imagined scandal or unsubstantiated accusation, it appears tonight that both major political parties have hunkered down to spend the final thirty six hours in determined house to house campaigning accompanied by massive salvos of television and radio […]
To test some of Palacio’s theories and see just what Belizeans are thinking, this morning I hit the scorching streets of Belize City. With less than two days to go before elections, many of Belize’s voters have still not made up their minds. But the law of certainty over a candidate doesn’t mean they don’t […]
He may be in the middle of the biggest race in his political career, but until the results are announced on Thursday night, Jose Coye is still the Mayor of Belize City. And on the eve of the election, the council is headed for another showdown with Central Government. In a letter dated August seventeenth […]
In other political news, as the twenty-nine races go down to the wire some candidates are turning to increasingly imaginative tactics. On Sunday evening, U.D.P. Fort George standard bearer Derek Aikman hired a plane to drop leaflets in the area of his campaign rally. While some of the papers, which contained negative propaganda about his […]
While on the subject of political tactics we are taking the opportunity, at the behest of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, to inform all agents working for the various political parties and candidates that on election day absolutely no electronic communication device, bottles, glass containers or weapons of any type shall be allowed into the […]
And in one more reminder, we’d like to alert viewers and those outside of Belize who catch this newscast on the Internet, that our live coverage on election night, in conjunction with Love FM, will also be available on the worldwide web. Just tell your friends to go to Channel5Belize.com and click on the link […]
And while we were talking to Boots, we couldn’t help but ask for his comments on the subject of racism which has surfaced late in the campaign, compliments of fellow standard bearer, Hubert Elrington. While Boots obviously didn’t want the issue to intrude on his campaign, he did manage a better explanation than other politicians […]
It is an issue which has always tended to smolder just below the surface of Belizean politics, especially when times are lean. But with rare exception those who lead this nation have always managed to take the high road, making it unmistakenly clear to their supporters and opponents alike that one unique thing about Belize […]
“For those who, like Mr. Esquivel, may not be familiar with Hubert Elrington’s remarks, we’ll repeat the clip which aired on Wednesday of last week as part of our series “Elections ’98”. Hubert Elrington, U.D.P., Lake Independence “My pet issue is that I don’t think we should allow our system to be taken over by […]
While Elrington’s remarks may have been confusing to some politicians there was one who got the message loud and clear. Said Musa, Leader, P.U.P. “It’s a very insidious thing that they have introduced into our politics. Yes, I do come from, on my father’s side, of Arab ancestry. My mother is a born Belizean, all […]
It’s a part of the country that a century ago represented the heart and soul of the nation. Today the villages of the Belize River Valley, many of which are in the Belize Rural North constituency, are attempting a comeback. The question is which representative will lead it. Patrick Jones spoke to two of them. […]
It was postponed from last month due to bad weather and the People’s United Party must be thankful. Their massive march on Belize City this morning provided what amounts to a dramatic climax for its virtually nonstop five year campaign to regain the office it lost in 1993. Patrick Jones reports. The streets of Belize […]
As promised, the People’s United Party today produced evidence, in the form of a Panamanian newspaper report, that the accusations against representative Ralph Fonseca made by Attorney General Dean Barrow, have no basis in fact. The story, appearing in the newspaper “El Siglo” quotes the Panamanian director of Interpol, Dr. Jorge Mottley, as saying that […]
Attorney General Barrow may also face some tough opposition on another one of his pet projects: the appointment of a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He announced on Wednesday that Manuel Sosa would be elevated to the post and all the paperwork would be completed before the election. Today in a press release […]
No new accusations are coming from Attorney General Dean Barrow today with regard to his attempts to implicate P.U.P. representative Ralph Fonseca in illegal activities in Panama. A number of local news organizations attempted to get confirmation from Panamanian authorities concerning Barrow’s charges that Fonseca’s name had surfaced in connection with an investigation of money […]
Until a few months ago the race in Queen’s Square was considered a walkover, with perennial incumbent Dean Barrow having a lifetime lease on the solidly U.D.P. seat. But when lawyer and well known talk show host Dickie Bradley declared for the P.U.P. in the division, suddenly what was considered a non-event began to attract […]
There’s a play in the sport of American football known as the Hail Mary. Made famous by the University of Notre Dame, it is called by the quarterback when, trailing late in the game and trapped deep in his own territory, his only chance to win lies in flinging the ball deep into his opponent’s […]
For his part, Ralph Fonseca wasted no time in responding to Barrow’s charges, which were carried live on the B.C.B. In fact he made a dramatic entrance while the press conference was still in session and after a brief verbal tussle with the A.G., waited until Barrow was finished before holding an impromptu press conference […]
He has been one of the most outspoken and controversial ministers in the last two U.D.P. governments. But Hubert Elrington, also known as the “unguided missile,” does not seem to mind the nickname and in fact takes pride in his maverick reputation. His young opponent, Cordel Hyde, while cultivating an image of quiet commitment and […]
