The P.U.P.’s Vetting Committee has accepted Arthur Saldivar’s application to contest the party’s Belmopan Standard Bearer convention. Whether his application will be approved is another matter. The P.U.P. decided to further postpone the convention to the end of August in light of Saldivar’s application for an injunction to stop the convention in order for the […]
Former four-term city councilor Phillip Willoughby took up the post of Operations Officer with the National Emergency Management Organization in April, following a stunning defeat of the United Democratic Party’s slate in the March seventh municipals. Willoughby landed the job with NEMO just a few weeks after the election loss and was touted as having […]
Former four-time U.D.P. city councilor Phillip Willoughby is one of four candidates running in Port Loyola to represent the ruling party as standard bearer in the 2020 general elections. Along with Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, former Deputy Mayor Dean Samuels and Shane Castillo, Willoughby was preparing for an upcoming convention in that south side constituency. […]
Attorney Arthur Saldivar’s application for an injunction to stop the P.U.P.’s Belmopan convention was not heard today. In fact, the application has been withdrawn following the party’s announcement three days ago that Saldivar would be allowed reapply. At a press conference on Tuesday, Party Chairman Henry Charles Usher said that the party had decided to […]
One of the matters on the agenda of the special senate meeting was the appointment of four commissioners to the Elections and Boundaries Commission, chaired by Doug Singh. It comes over two months late and days after the start of the re-registration process. The new commissioners are Phillipa Griffith Bailey, Naima Barrow, Orlando Espat and […]
In addressing his concerns, N.G.O. Senator Osmany Salas also cited the standing orders which govern upper parliament, in the context of being able to question the designated chair. The issue was promptly batted down by fellow Senator Michael Peyrefitte, who went on to say that Arzu-Torres was carefully vetted and approved by both the Prime […]
Opposition Senator Valerie Woods acknowledged the challenges in naming a candidate for the post. She, however, raised concerns with the inordinate length of time the process actually took. Valerie Woods, P.U.P. Senator “I do want to recognize the statement that the Attorney General made, that it has been difficult, I think Senator Peyrefitte said, […]
Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte first ran as a candidate for the United Democratic Party in Freetown in 2008. He was defeated by the P.U.P.’s Francis Fonseca and since then he took a backseat to electoral politics, serving the party and the Barrow administration in various capacities. But Peyrefitte is re-entering the political fray as a […]
At this afternoon’s brief, the party chairman said that the postponement of the Belmopan convention should not be interpreted as any acceptance or recognition that Saldivar’s claim has any sort of merit. But Usher conceded that Saldivar is now allowed to apply and so does not see the need for further court action. Henry […]
On Monday, P.U.P. Leader John Briceño accepted the resignation of Julius Espat as deputy party leader for the west. Espat who has criticized Briceño’s leadership told News Five that the post has become ceremonial and is unable to carry out his functions. P.U.P. Chairman Henry Charles Usher told the press that the party and Espat […]
The United Democratic Party has released the names of sixty-six candidates who are seeking to become their party’s standard bearers for the thirty-one constituencies in the next general elections. We note that three sitting area representatives will be challenged and in other areas, there are as many as five aspirants. In the city, Prime Minister […]
In the blue corner, Cayo South Area Representative, Julius Espat is no longer a Deputy Party Leader for the People’s United Party. Even though his resignation had been leaked before today, Espat met with Party Leader John Briceño this morning in Belize City where he officially handed in his resignation and it was accepted. Espat, […]
Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai says that her department is fully prepared to carry out a successful re-registration exercise. Beginning on Monday, dozens of centers spread across all thirty-one constituencies will be manned by hundreds of temporary workers who would be registering electors with the hope of cleaning up the voters list. These centers will […]
Three weeks ago the Office of the Prime Minister announced major cabinet changes. Among the adjustments was the transfer of the Elections and Boundaries Department from Minister Hugo Patt to Prime Minister Dean Barrow. PM Barrow is also the Minister for Finance and Labour, Local Government, Rural Development, Energy, Public Utilities and Public Service. Minister […]
Attorney Arthur Saldivar is turning against his own party, which he wants to represent. This is all because he is not allowed to run for P.U.P. standard bearer in the Belmopan constituency. On June fifteenth, Saldivar filed an application requesting an injunction at the Supreme Court to halt the convention which was scheduled for this […]
The three candidates who have been accepted to contest the convention are Oscar Mira, Wiezsman Pat and Michelle Rodriguez. After this morning’s court session, Saldivar told supporters who had gathered at Battlefield Park why he wants to contest the P.U.P.’s Belmopan convention. Arthur Saldivar, Suing the P.U.P. “We are looking at a situation in Belize […]
From crime to the questionable land deals at the Ministry of Natural Resources. Following the airing of a story last Friday, a full-fledged internal war within the U.D.P. has broken out on social media. Leila Peyrefitte and Rommel Berges are two Freetown constituents whose land documents were leaked after they were granted prime real estate […]
The People’s United Party continued with the election of standard bearers, who will be on the party’s slate for the next national elections. In the south on Sunday, a convention was held to elect a candidate for the Dangriga constituency which also includes Sarawee and Hope Creek. Close to one thousand two hundred electors cast […]
On the other side of the political arena, Orson “OJ” Elrington has confirmed he will be seeking election for the U.D.P. in the Freetown area. The other known contender is Senator Carla Barnett, who was trounced in the last election by Area Representative, Francis Fonseca. Freetown has remained a stronghold of the People’s United Party […]
On Sunday, the People’s United Party will be holding its convention to select the standard bearer in Dangriga. The race started out with six persons, but historian Joseph Sampson has since retracted his candidacy. Now, four men: Doctor Louis Zabaneh, Antony Ramos, Hilberto Arzu and Gregory Ovado, and the only woman on the ballot, Erica […]
Mayor Bernard Wagner and his P.U.P, this week marked their first hundred days at City Hall. After a decade of U.D.P. rule, the first order of business was a look at the state of finances as well as the contracts, programmes and other systems left behind by the previous council. Today, they called the media […]
One of the primary responsibilities of the City Council is streets, and although over one hundred and sixty were cemented under the previous U.D.P. administration, many are in dire need of remedial work. It is known that several contractors were granted contracts for different arteries, but a minimum standard appears not to have been achieved. […]
Deputy Mayor Oscar Arnold also spoke on the financial crunch City Hall is experiencing. It is well known that December through March is the period during which the council’s revenue collection is at an all time high as property taxes and trade license payments come in. Those account for roughly seventy-two percent of the total […]
Five persons have been terminated from City Hall for various reasons since Mayor Bernard Wagner and his P.U.P. team took office; primarily due to redundancy. But the most notable termination was that of former City Administrator Candice Miller, who was initially suspended for a month for dereliction of duties before she was let go. Deputy […]
A seat at the table is what the Belize Progressive Party has been clamoring for, in respect of the upcoming, countrywide re-registration exercise. That call has been heeded by the Elections and Boundaries Department which has since included the B.P.P. in all meetings related to the pending process. This morning during a press brief, Paco […]
