P.U.P. National Executive Sets Stage for Municipal Showdowns

The People’s United Party is heading into municipal election season with competition inside its own camp. The party will hold contested conventions in five of Belize’s nine municipalities, after its national executive met on Saturday to lock in the dates and rules for the races. But those rules will not look the same everywhere. In Belize City, the P.U.P. will use a delegates’ convention, with each constituency getting one delegate for every twenty-five votes received in the last general elections. In Corozal Town, the party will instead rely on a sanitized list drawn from the latest Elections and Boundaries voter roll. Following Saturday’s meeting, Prime Minister John Briceño made his first pitch to voters this election season, while Party Chairman Henry Charles Usher addressed early controversies already surrounding some council hopefuls.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Our municipalities have worked hard over the past three years from north to south, east to west, and I believe that next year we need to give them another chance to continue the work. I can assure you that we are going to be working very hard. We’re going to be visiting in your homes. We’re going to continue to convince you that we must have a municipality in your community that’s being managed by the PUP.”

 

Reporter

“Why was it that Evan Thompson was not allowed to contest as a councilor?”

 

Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, PUP

That’s an interesting question, and you know that the process internally for the party is still ongoing. So it’s not an answer that I’ll be able to give today.”

 

Reporter

“In terms of the Corozal convention, which is coming up soon, we know that one of the councilors, or one of the councilor candidates stepped down after he was accused of, some type of violence.”

 

Reporter

“Do you believe that if s- if this report did not come out, he would have been asked to step down regardless?”

 

Henry Charles Usher

“He withdrew his application. He sent in the letter to the secretariat and we’re proceeding with a contested convention on August the 9th. Two slates. One of the slate has one less person on the team in terms of six, and we proceed from there.”

 

Reporter

“But if the report didn’t become as public as it did, would the PUP have asked him to step down?”

 

Henry Charles Usher

“It’s kind of a moot point because he withdrew. Next question.”

 

Shane Williams

“How many conventions are you all having and how many mayoral races are contested?”

 

Henry Charles Usher

“We have nine municipalities and we expect contested conventions in five of them.”

 

All eyes are on Corozal and Belize City. Rigo Vellos is fighting to hold his ground against Thea Garcia-backed Shajerie Rogers, while Eluide Miller and Allan Pollard go head-to-head for mayor in Belize City. The races are scheduled for August ninth and August thirtieth.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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