Will the UDP Get Its Reset on November 30th?

After more than a year of nasty public infighting, leadership battles, and split campaigns, the United Democratic Party (UDP) is banking on its upcoming November 30th convention to regroup and hit that ‘reset’.

Panton told reporters today she is “very encouraged” by the support received from delegates. According to her, the convention will “lay out the way forward for the uniting and rebuilding of the UDP” ahead of the 2027 municipal and 2030 general elections.

She described the party’s journey as an “arduous road” so far but said that “the UDP is ready for a united front.”

The convention is expected to endorse a new executive that will guide the party toward rebuilding after its fractured performance in the March 12th general elections. The UDP went to the polls with two leaders and multiple candidates in the same constituencies. Some divisions saw two UDP candidates vying for it and others up to three, including independents campaigning under the same UDP banner.

However, there are now fresh concerns that the party has failed to meet a key requirement in its own constitution. The rules state that convention documents “shall be circulated… at least twenty-one days before the Convention meets.” According to reports, those documents should have gone out on November 8th. Four days later, none had been distributed.

Despite these concerns, Panton says the party is ready to unify. “We have to be a robust opposition. What is happening in this country, and some of the decisions that are being taken by the present administration, is completely unacceptable. We have to join forces to ensure that we can defend our democracy and protect our sovereignty,” she said.

The convention will proceed without Moses “Shyne” Barrow, who lost both his constituency and the leadership of the opposition after the March 12th general elections.

Meanwhile, Panton will seek endorsement as party leader. If elected, she would become the first woman to lead a mass political party in Belize.