BELMOPAN, Belize, Sep 29 2015 – Belizeans will go to the polls on November 4 to elect a new government.
The last general election was held on March 7, 2012, when Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s United Democratic Party (UDP) lost eight seats to hold on to a slim 17-14 majority in the 31 member House of Representatives.
Nomination Day will be on Friday, October 16.
In his address announcing the election date, Barrow said that over the past eight years, his party has sought to improve the socio-economic conditions in this Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country and was confident of being returned to power.
He said the UDP’s record “is such that even our fiercest critics must concede the tremendous advances we have recorded…public finances are robust; reserves are at historic highs; public officers are better paid than ever; the BOOST and Food Pantry programmes are renowned poverty-fighting models for this entire region”.
He said tuition and scholarship grants have expanded educational opportunities for thousands of families and that the local economy has added more than 4500 jobs annually since 2007.
The UDP will face a challenge from the People’s United Party (PUP), whose leader Francis Fonseca, said he was a “little surprised” at the date given the fact that the party had anticipated that Prime Minister Barrow had signaled his intention to call an early next year.
