Darrell Bradley: ‘My Name Will Return to the Ballot’
Former Belize City Mayor attorney Darrell Bradley is ruling out a bid for the United Democratic Party (UDP) leadership, but he is not ruling out a return to elected politics.
Bradley ran in the Caribbean Shores division in the 2015 general elections and narrowly lost to the People’s United Party (PUP) candidate, Kareem Musa. In an interview with News 5, he said that while he’s learned from past political mistakes, he will not challenge anyone for the party’s top post.
“I made certain errors in relation to that. I’ve learned from those errors,” Bradley said. “I will not be somebody who will be a spoiler… I want to support the UDP, but I will not challenge any person in relation to leadership. I’ve done that, and I think we have had enough confrontation and contention. What we need is unity.”
He also rejected former Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s recent suggestion that the UDP is not ready to prevent the PUP from securing a third consecutive term in government. Instead, Bradley described the UDP as a formidable political force and argued that disagreements within the party are nothing unusual.
“I remember when I was active in the UDP holding opinions; certain persons within the political party and myself bucked heads on a regular basis. And so to say that we’re ‘not gelling’ is really to add nothing to politics. That’s the nature of politics,” Bradley said.
Meanwhile, Bradley addressed speculation that he could contest Port Loyola in a future general election but stopped short of confirming any plans for the constituency. He said, “I cannot confirm that… I have actually made it very clear that I do want to hold elected office in this country.”
“I haven’t said specifically because I haven’t decided in relation to any particular area. We’ve looked at certain constituencies that may be a possibility. But sometime in the future, I can’t say in 2020, but sometime in the future, my name will be on a ballot,” he added. “I can’t say in 2030 because I don’t know what will happen. But I know that sometime in the future.”