PUP Finalizes Standard Bearer Vetting Process

The People’s United Party has wrapped up its vetting process for aspiring standard bearers. Today, the party’s National Campaign Committee met to finalize the list of applications it will accept and to discuss whether certain constituencies will see conventions or endorsements. The application window closed last Friday and, according to PUP Chairman Henry Charles Usher, the party received applications for all thirty-one divisions. Here’s what he told us this evening following the committee’s meeting. 

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “The closing date for those applications was last week Friday at 4pm. We received the applications for all thirty one constituencies. Today the National Campaign Committee met to review those applications and they made certain decisions and those decisions will now be taken to the National Executive of the party and the applicants will be notified.”

Reporter: No idea when this process may be completed ?

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “I believe that we should be completed in terms of sending out the letters and so on within the next week or so. It shouldn’t be much longer than that.”

As we reported, San Pedro Mayor Gualberto Nunez had expressed interest in challenging the current Belize Rural South Area Representative, Andre Perez.  His ambitions, however, were struck down by the PUP. The party had informed Nunez that recently elected mayors were being barred from submitting applications. Today, we asked Usher if that was the party’s official stance or if it was an isolated decision.

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “There was no specific request like that. It was just a recommendation that coming from the National Campaign Committee and so we had notified the mayors of this decision.”

Reporter: And is that going to be done too as well for councilors ? I know I see three recently Belize City councilors have submitted their applications as well too.

Henry Charles Usher, PUP Chairman: “Yeah there was no – well if you’ve seen those applications you know some of the information is already out there. No there was no specific determination by the campaign committee or the National Executive as to councilors.”