Belmopan Mayor Sharon Palacio Withdraws from Election Contest

While the PUP’s Belize City mayoral candidate has been endorsed, its current Belmopan Mayor, Sharon Palacio, has withdrawn from contesting in next year’s election. Palacio has been very vocal in recent weeks, regarding the rejection by the PUP Secretariat of several members she wanted to be on her slate in the next election.  In a letter to Belmopan Area Representative Oscar Mira, Palacio announced her decision and took aim at the PUP. Today, the part’s Chairman, Henry Charles Usher, commented on Palacio’s announcement and said it was disappointing. 

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “I believe that, first of all, I was disappointed to hear that not only Mayor Palacio but other persons who had applied to run for councilors had removed their names. I believe that, well, the PUP is a democratic party. We allow persons to contest. Anybody can contest any particular seat. The Prime Minister is on record to say if anybody wants to contest him in Orange Walk Central they can certainly do that. So, in terms of the process to where the vetting committee went through the 125 applications that we had countrywide decisions were made by the national executive as to the conventions to be held in each jurisdiction, each municipality. Mayor Palacio decided not to be a part of that process. I wish her well. Certainly she has her time that she has to continue to be mayor from now until February I believe when her term will be up and the term of the council’s countrywide will be up and we expect that she will continue to govern in the way she has been governing Belmopan as Mayor of Belmopan and continue to provide the services that Belmopan deserves.”