There is finally a woman in the House. Three women: Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Patty Arceo and Carolyn Trench Sandiford, entered the race for the general elections. All were fielded by the People’s United Party. Attorney Balderamos Garcia, edged out Michael Hutchinson, her contender in Belize Rural Central, to become the only elected woman representative. It […]
The U.D.P. lost eight of its seats and at times during the night it appeared that the P.U.P. might have won. The PM admitted it was a close call and he even considered what he would say to the media if the tide had turned. But what caused the loss in of so many U.D.P. […]
He hasn’t formed a new Cabinet and we will not know which of the seventeen representatives will get a portfolio. He did announce that not all of the elected members of the U.D.P. government will sit in Cabinet. Four others will be brought through the senate, which means that the new Cabinet will be fifteen […]
The United Democratic Party was returned to government with a significantly reduced margin. Of the twenty-five seats held by the U.D.P., it lost seven. The pendulum swept completely in the south and the opposition also gained ground in the north and west, giving it a stronger voice in parliament. We’ll look at those details later […]
There were over a hundred campaign promises made by both the P.U.P. and the U.D.P. And now that Barrow is in for his second term, he intends to fulfill a promise that he says wasn’t on the manifesto. He wants to explore the possibility of a national oil refinery. Barrow also intends to seek write-offs […]
The prime minister announced at a press conference that he will take the oath on Friday for his new term in government, but the People’s United Party says it’s not conceding the elections. According to P.U.P. leader, Francis Fonseca, the elections were neither free nor fair and that the electoral process was tainted with irregularities. […]
The P.U.P. is filing three challenges, which Fonseca says might overturn the results. Two petitions are on the razor thin results in the Cayo District and the other relates to Lake Independence where Yolanda Schakron’s nomination was rejected by registering officer, Noreen Fairweather. The director of communications cited allegations of irregularities and abuse. Lisa Shoman, […]
The Electoral Observation Mission coordinated by the Organization of American States has concluded its report on the March seventh dual elections. The team of twenty-two men and women, representing thirteen OAS member states, arrived in the country last Thursday at the request of the government to scrutinize the General and Municipal Elections. Members were deployed […]
While observers noted that there aren’t any laws governing political financing, they also took notice that the rule defining the hundred yard boundary between supporters and the polling stations was not being respected. In all instances there were dozens of campaigners gathered near the entrance to the various polling stations where they heckled their opponents […]
The comments made by the OAS Observer team were not out of the ordinary. The OAS observer mission was well received and felt the experience showed a working democracy. The PM, however, says that some of the suggestions are impractical and that elections are free and fair… but not perfect. Dean Barrow “They want to […]
There were highs and lows throughout Wednesday night as the results of the elections started to come in. At about one-thirty this morning, the U.D.P. reached the magical number of sixteen with a win in Corozal Bay and then went on to win one more seat. The opposition won fourteen, up from six seats it […]
The results of the municipals are a mixed bag. For the Belmopan City Council, it went down to the wire with results being announced shortly after six o’clock this morning. With a high number of split votes and three full city council slates of the VIP, U.D.P., and P.U.P., along with five mayoral hopefuls, it […]
The results of the Municipal Elections may have been completely dwarfed by the overwhelming emphasis placed on the wins and losses of ministerial hopefuls. Throughout the night counting clerks were busy tallying votes received by each mayoral and councilor candidate. When it was all said and done it was clear that the wave of red […]
There were surprise wins and losses in Wednesday’s general elections. In the south, the People’s United Party won handsomely taking all seats in the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts with the stunning defeat of Melvin Hulse and Eden Martinez. In the North, the opposition took five of eight seats, and made significant gains in the […]
In the courts, a former Security Guard of the Magistrate’s Court, who was stabbed in the neck on February twenty-ninth, today saw his alleged attacker remanded to prison. The accused man, twenty-five year old Robert Tracey, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer to be read two charges; Attempted Murder and Grievous Harm upon Loren Lennan. […]
On Tuesday, we reported that Police Constable Brandon Hertular was facing charges for allegedly stealing, a weapon, cash and cell phones from a house in Belize City. Well, after three nights in police custody, the twenty-five year old cop was formally arraigned today on a charge of Burglary. Hertular appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart, […]
