General Elections Expected by Mid-2025: Political Parties Finalize Candidates

A few weeks ago, Love News heard through the grapevine that the general elections will be called within the second quarter of 2025.  This means that it could happen before June or July next year.  With an estimated one year to get into campaign mode, the two main political parties are finalizing their list of standard bearers.  For the People’s United Party, there is still a question as to who would be running in the Collet Division.  Deputy Secretary General Collet Montejo says that decision should be made by a deadline given by party’s executive.

Collet Montejo, PUP Deputy Secretary General: “The instruction from the National Executive is that all conventions, all thirty one candidates are to be sworn in by the 31st day of August 2024.”

Talk Show Host: How about the Collect constituency, a decision has been made ?

Collet Montejo, PUP Deputy Secretary General:  “We are still working on finalizing that. There are a couple prospects that, applicants that we recently received and we’re working through the details in relation to the Collet division.”

For the United Democratic Party (UDP) they still have several vacant seats for standard bearers.  One interesting fact confirmed by the UDP Leader, Moses Barrow, is that Anthony Boots Martinez is coming out of retirement and has thrown his hat back in the Port Loyola division.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “Well we have already advertised the vacancy for Port Loyola, Belize Rural South and Freetown and so applications are being submitted. I could tell you we have about seven applications for Port Loyola in particular and two of those applications one is the vice chairman of the Port Loyola executive committee and one is the youth delegate.”

Troye Gabb, Host, The Morning Show: None from Boots Martinez ?

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “Yes he’s one of them but I’m just showing you that Willoughby’s own executive I met with them along with the regional leader…”

Troye Gabb, Host, The Morning Show: Well I mean the backdrop to the story is that he ended up marrying the daughter of the sitting representative.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “I think we’ve already lived that soap opera and we’ve moved on and we wish him the best.”

Part of the PUP’s preparations for the general elections will take place this week via two standard bearer conventions.  Those two areas are Corozal Bay and Corozal North.  Speaking on the five candidates was the PUP Chairman, Henry Usher.

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “Dr.Bodden is a newcomer to this. It’s the first time that we’ve seen him involved in political affairs and I’m excited by his candidacy and I’m sure that he will get a lot of support there in Corozal North. In fact the three candidates have been ongoing the ground, have been working and we expect a big turnout there in Corozal North.”

Talk Show Host: Again having three candidates in Corozal North shows the excitement that has been created in that since Hugo Patt has basically failed.

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “Certainly. I think what it also shows again it’s the involvement of newcomers and young people. People wanting to become a part of this political process, wanting to join the People’s United Party in order to serve the people, in order to see how we can be a part of the national development of Belize. So both conventions start at 9am on Sunday and the polls close at 4pm. So these are the last two contested conventions and then of course we are going to complete Team 31 as soon as possible. The Prime Minister gave us a deadline in which we need to have the team ready, all of our standard bearers ready so that we can have at least a year on the ground, those were his words, that we can have at least a year on the ground campaigning, working in our areas, preparing for the general election. Of course still doing the work of government, doing the work of the nation as elected representatives but preparing for the general election coming up in 2025.”

The Corozal conventions are set for Sunday, July 14.