Crique Sarco Alcalde Challenges Election Over Suspect Voter Addresses

The village leader of Crique Sarco in the Toledo District is calling foul on the results of their May twenty-fifth village council elections. First Alcalde Marcos Choc and his deputy, Javier Coy, have written to the Elections and Boundaries Commission, raising serious concerns about voters who claimed to live along the Temash River. According to Choc, no one actually lives along that stretch of the river, which lies within the Sarstoon Temash National Park—an area with no recognized settlements. He argues that the people using “Temash River” as their address are actually residents of Barra Sarstoon, a Guatemalan village just across from the Belize Defense Force’s forward operating base on the Sarstoon River. Choc and Coy are demanding that the election results be thrown out, a new election date be set, and that the twenty-five individuals with questionable addresses be removed from the voters list. They’ve submitted a list of names and are urging the Elections and Boundaries Department to carry out an official site inspection. Prime Minister John Briceño was also copied in the letter.