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Encyclopedia > Belizean legislative election, 2008

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This article or section contains information about a forthcoming or ongoing election. Content may change dramatically as the election approaches and unfolds. Belize This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Belize Image File history File links Ballot_box_current. ... This article is about the political process. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... É Politics of Belize takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... Queen Elizabeth II Governor-General Colville Young Prime Minister Said Musa Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow National Assembly Senate House of Representatives Political parties PUP - UDP Elections: 2008 Political divisions Districts Foreign relations Other countries · Atlas  Politics Portal view • talk • edit A legislative election will be held in the nation of Belize in 2008. Beginning with this election, Belizeans will elect to the House of Representatives 31 members instead of 29. The countries of the Commonwealth Realm share the same monarch. ... Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... This page contains a list of Governors-General of Belize. ... Sir Colville Norbert Young (born 1932) is the Governor-General of Belize, and also patron of the Scout Association of Belize. ... The government of Belize is directed by the Prime Minister. ... Said Wilbert Musa, PC, (born March 19, 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician, and has been Prime Minister of Belize since August 28, 1998. ... É The Leader of the Opposition of Belize is an elected official who, according to the Constitution, commands the support of those elected officials that do not support the Government. ... Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a Belizean lawyer and politician and the leader of the United Democratic Party. ... The National Assembly of is the bicameral legislature of Belize. ... The Senate is one of the chambers of the National Assembly. ... The House of Representatives of Belize is one of two chambers of the National Assembly, the other being the Senate. ... This article lists political parties in Belize. ... The Peoples United Party is the ruling Christian Democratic political party of Belize. ... The United Democratic Party is the main opposition political party in Belize. ... Politics of Belize Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Belize ... Belizes 6 districts are divided into 31 constituencies. ... Districts of Belize Belize is divided into 6 districts. ... Belizes principal external concern has been the dispute involving the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... By law, the ruling People's United Party has up to June 3, 2008 to call an election; their term of office expires on March 5. The Peoples United Party is the ruling Christian Democratic political party of Belize. ... is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the day. ... Main article: Elections in Belize Contents 1 Early predictions 1.1 First SPEAR poll (2005) 1.2 Second SPEAR poll (2006) 1.3 Belizean Studies Centre/University of Belize poll 2 2007 Village council elections 3 Third party announcements 4 Pre-election campaigning 5 Issues in the 2008 elections 6 Media coverage 7 List of announced candidates by party and constituency Politics of Belize Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Belize ... [edit] Early predictions [edit] First SPEAR poll (2005) The Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR) released the results of an opinion poll conducted in conjunction with SJC's Belizean Studies Centre in October 2005. This poll showed that Prime Minister Said Musa had an approval rating of just 19.8%, with 71.6% of respondents saying he should call an early election. In an election 49% of voters would consider voting for a third party; between the current parties 34.5% said they would vote for the PUP and the rest for the UDP. Both parties had muted reactions, but The Belize Times, a PUP newspaper, questioned the mechanics of the poll and Kremandala Show panelist Cedric Flowers challenged its validity. SPEAR was vindicated in its findings by the results of the 2006 municipal election, in which the UDP won the majority of seats.[1] Said Wilbert Musa, PC, (born March 19, 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician, and has been Prime Minister of Belize since August 28, 1998. ... The United Democratic Party is the main opposition political party in Belize. ... The Belize Times is a Belizean newspaper and the official organ of the Peoples United Party. ... Belize municipal elections, 2006 were a series of local elections held on March 1, 2006 to fill vacancies for town councils in Corozal, Orange Walk, San Pedro, San Ignacio, Benque Viejo, Dangriga, Punta Gorda, Belize City and Belmopan. ... [edit] Second SPEAR poll (2006) As a followup, SPEAR conducted a second poll released on October 31, 2006 ([2]). According to the poll 70.5% of Belizeans polled disapproved of Said Musa's leadership, with 15.1 approving and 14.5 having no opinion. A majority called for early elections as well as political parties' disclosure of campaign finance contributions. When asked who they would vote for, 32% said UDP, 11.8% PUP and 22% a third party. Smaller numbers either said they would not vote at all or declined to say who they would vote for. SPEAR director Gustavo Perera said he was "confident" in the results of the poll. (News 5, October 31 and November 3) As before, neither political party appeared to put much stock in the poll. While the UDP naturally crowed about its support among the people, it was cautious in assuming a 2008 victory. The PUP insisted their dismal numbers would improve through 2007, while third parties said the results validated their feelings. The nation's largest newspaper, the Amandala, headlined[3] that more than half of Belizeans had rejected the PUP and UDP by either supporting a third party or declining to vote; this notion was soundly rejected by the UDP in particular and resulted in back and forth editorial responses in the Amandala and the UDP's Guardian in November, with the UDP charging that publisher Evan X Hyde was playing into the PUP's hands by supporting third parties openly instead of the UDP, and Amandala reiterating that its policy was of Belizeans First[4] and that neither party had thoroughly considered the welfare of "roots" Belizeans since Independence. Amandala is a Belizean newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the mostly widely circulated newspaper in Belize. ... The Guardian is a Belizean newspaper and the official print organ of the Opposition Political Party United Democratic Party. ... Evan Anthony Hyde (better known as Evan X Hyde) (born April 30, 1947 in Belize City, Belize) is a writer and journalist. ... [edit] Belizean Studies Centre/University of Belize poll In March of 2007, the University of Belize and Saint John's College Junior College's Belizean Studies Centre conducted a one-weekend poll of 430 randomly selected persons seeking opinions on the 2008 elections[5]. The poll was supervised by UB Registrar Dr. Roy Young and BSC's Yasmine Andrews. On the question of approval of party leaders, the UDP's Dean Barrow led all contestants with 55.7% approval; sitting Prime Minister Said Musa scored 14.9%, while independent leaders rated below that. Results by party were similar, with the UDP scoring 55.5%, the PUP 16% and independents scores ranging from 2 to 9%. The scores represent similar views to that of the SPEAR polls, but neither of the major parties had early public comment on the release of this poll. The University of Belize is an English-speaking multi-location institution of higher education, and the national university of the Central American country of Belize. ... St. ... Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a Belizean lawyer and politician and the leader of the United Democratic Party. ... Said Wilbert Musa, PC, (born March 19, 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician, and has been Prime Minister of Belize since August 28, 1998. ... Since the release of this poll there has been widespread comment. VIP spokesman Patrick Rogers condemned the poll on The Kremandala Show of Tuesday April 3, 2007 due to its "faulty" process and the apparent UDP bias of Andrews (she contributes to the Guardian newspaper and is the daughter of deceased UDP politician Joseph Andrews of San Ignacio). Young reproached[6] Andrews over the ethics of releasing the poll as a UB/SJC collaboration when, according to Young, UB only provided manpower and minimal technical assistance[7]. The People's United Party has issued a commercial reiterating these claims and strongly condemning Andrews and her poll. The Kremandala Show is a Belizean political commentary talk show airing on Krem Radio and Krem Television. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Peoples United Party is the ruling Christian Democratic political party of Belize. ... [edit] 2007 Village council elections Beginning in March of 2007 and continuing through April 22, Belize's 193 villages held council elections on Sundays of every weekend except for Easter. While the Village Council elections are supposed to be non-partisan, the major parties and independents considered them a litmus test for the general elections. From the very beginning, back and forth charges of inaccurate statistics and party favouritism have stained the elections, with both the blue and the red claiming victory in the majority of contested seats. Press releases from both parties claim victory. The results are detailed below. is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ... Results of Village Council elections 2007[8] UDP PUP Independent 114 (own estimate) 103 (own estimate) 16 (PUP estimate) 74 (PUP estimate) 67 (UDP estimate) 9 (UDP estimate) [edit] Third party announcements Several third parties have announced plans to participate in the upcoming election. Among them are established parties Vision Inspired by the People out of Belmopan and We the People Reform Movement from the North. Further south, Cornelius Dueck's National Reform Party and Wil Maheia's People's National Party have made announcements regarding their candidacy. Vision Inspired by the People or VIP is a political party established in December 2005 in the Cayo District of Belize. ... Belmopan, estimated population 12,300, is the capital of Belize. ... We the People Reform Movement is a self-styled movement of independent candidates intended to cause a revolution in Belizean politics and society. ... The National Reform Party, already established, is a political party seeking office in order to eradicate poverty, crime and corruption in Belizean politics. ... The Peoples National Party of Belize is a young political movement based in Punta Gorda, Toledo District, Belize, which has declared candidacy for the 2008 general elections. ... Persistent reports indicate that the third parties are seeking to unify in order to present a stronger challenge to the main parties; however, no concrete plans were announced toward this end. Reports from the Amandala of March 18, 2007, however, indicate that the PNP and WTP have formed an alliance (later named the National Belizean Alliance (NBA)) and are expected to announce their combined slate soon. The parties have written joint letters to the Amandala in recent issues. Amandala is a Belizean newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the mostly widely circulated newspaper in Belize. ... In the Amandala of Sunday, March 11, former party the National Reality Truth Creation Party appeared to be returning to the political scene with a full page ad endorsing one Ebony Babb for Queen's Square; the ad also extolled the Christian virtues of the party, led by musician Jorge Ernesto Babb and reportedly featuring Senator Godwin Hulse. The ad appealed to all "natural Creole born Belizeans" to support the NRTCP in 2008. It is not known whether this is a formal candidate announcement, though Babb appeared on KREM Radio several weeks prior espousing the virtues of the party. Amandala is a Belizean newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the mostly widely circulated newspaper in Belize. ... KREM FM is a Belize City radio station operating on signals 96. ... The VIP claim up to 11 candidates according to latest reports. At the end of June Belmopan standard bearer Paul Morgan was officially nominated as such in his first General election race; Collet's Patrick Rogers is soon to follow. [edit] Pre-election campaigning Campaigning, it appears, has kicked off in earnest, with widespread but unfounded rumors of a November poll. The ruling PUP have rolled out a number of programs designed to woo the electorate, including the promise of free textbooks for primary school students[9], improved infrastructure on the deep southside of Belize City[10] and a planned rollout of a health insurance scheme in early 2008. Prime Minister Said Musa spent much of the early summer touring the South and West and continued his tour of the country in September and October. Mr. Musa announced in early October that general elections will not be called before Christmas. Said Wilbert Musa, PC, (born March 19, 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician, and has been Prime Minister of Belize since August 28, 1998. ... The United Democratic Party, for its part, have concentrated on shoring up support[11] in the districts and fighting fires in the various municipal governments they have controlled since March of 2006. Party Leader Dean Barrow has likewise toured much of the country since June. Both parties' journalism machinery have dug up various scandals on either side. The Elections and Boundaries Department have noted an increase[12] in the number of voter transfers between divisions[13], usually done in July and August. Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a Belizean lawyer and politician and the leader of the United Democratic Party. ... The Belize Elections and Boundaries Department is the hands-on administrator of Belizean electoral politics. ... [edit] Issues in the 2008 elections Municipal governance: The People's United Party, who were defeated in the 2006 municipal elections by the United Democratic Party, point to their spotty performance in governing the towns, particularly Belize City, Orange Walk and San Ignacio; the UDP claim the PUP has been strangling their resources and falsifying the situation. Political reform and corruption: The minor parties have all come forward with strategies designed to prevent the large-scale official corruption they say has taken place under the outgoing administration. These include electing the Senate and empowering it with greater oversight over the House, limiting the term of the Prime Minister and the House, electing the Prime Minister directly instead of by appointment, introducing powers of impeachment and recall, strengthening established institutions and officials to keep them independent of the political hierarchy, among others. Both major parties have adopted bits and pieces of these strategies, but the UDP is unconvinced of the necessity of an elected Senate. Administration performance: The UDP remains convinced that the ruling PUP have largely abandoned the promises that got them elected in 1998 and 2003, while the PUP point to a number of natural disasters and other emergencies that they say have prevented them from doing a better job. The PUP's view seems borne out by the passage of two hurricanes, Dean and Felix, in August and September of 2007 respectively, though neither actually impacted Belize. The Peoples United Party is the ruling Christian Democratic political party of Belize. ... Belize City, Belize is the largest city of the Central American nation Belize, and its former capital. ... Orange Walk could mean at least two things The Orange Walk District is an area of Belize. ... San Ignacio is a municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. ... Look up reform in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ... The term recall has a number of meanings: Product recall A recall election Recall to employment after a layoff Recall from memory. ... Lowest pressure 906 mbar (hPa; 26. ... For other storms of the same name, see Hurricane Felix (disambiguation) Lowest pressure 929 mbar (hPa; 27. ... [edit] Media coverage Both major television stations and all radio stations and newspapers report increased coverage of political stories in the runup to the upcoming elections. Orange Walk's Centaur Cable Television's Jorge Aldana was reportedly assaulted by opponents and appeared on 7 News claiming political interference. Both major parties have gone after independent media houses such as Kremandala Ltd. (owner of Amandala, Krem Radio and Krem Television), The Reporter and The Independent. Amandala is a Belizean newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the mostly widely circulated newspaper in Belize. ... KREM FM is a Belize City radio station operating on signals 96. ... KREM TV is a Belizean cable-only television station established in 2004 and serving Belize City. ... The Reporter is the local newspaper based out of Fond du Lac, WI. It primarily serves Fond du Lac and northern Dodge County in East Central Wisconsin. ... The Independent was a Belizean newspaper published weekly on Tuesdays and selling for $1. ... [edit] List of announced candidates by party and constituency Bold indicates incumbent. Constituency PUP UDP VIP NRP PNP WTP Albert Mark Espat Tom Morrison Belize Rural Central Ralph Fonseca[14] Michael Hutchinson Belize Rural North Earl Perez Edmond Castro Derick Stuart Belize Rural South Merlene Spain Manuel Heredia Jr. Ernesto Caliz Belmopan Rolando Zetina [15] John Saldivar[16] Paul Morgan Caribbean Shores Jose Coye Carlos Perdomo Cayo Central Mario Castellaños Rene Montero George Boiton Jr. Cayo North Otto Coleman Salvador Fernandez Alden McDougal Cayo Northeast Orlando Habet Elvin Penner Cornelius Dueck Cayo South Charles Galvez Ramon Witz Hubert Enriquez Melvin Jordan Cayo West Kendall Mendez Erwin Contreras Collet Carolyn Trench-Sandiford Patrick Faber Patrick Rogers Corozal Bay Juan Vildo Marin Pablo Marin Severo Rodriguez Corozal North Valdemar Castillo Nemencio Acosta Emilio Guerra Corozal Southeast Florencio Marin Jr. [17] Servando Samos Romeo Magana Corozal Southwest Gregorio Garcia Gabriel Martinez Eduardo Melendez Dangriga Cassian Nunez Arturo Roches Fort George Said Musa Dr. George Gough Freetown Francis Fonseca Michael Peyrefitte Lake Independence Cordel Hyde Vanley Jenkins Mesopotamia Austin Waight Michael Finnegan Orange Walk Central John Briceño Rosendo Urbina Alvaro Espejo Orange Walk East Marco Tulio Mendez Marcel Cardona Pavel Torres Orange Walk North Servulo Baeza Gaspar Vega Hilberto Nah Orange Walk South Jose Mai Mark Pech Enio Lopez Pickstock Godfrey Smith Wilfred Elrington Port Loyola Oscar Rosado Anthony Martinez Queen's Square Anthony Sylvester Dean Barrow Stann Creek West Rodwell Ferguson Melvin Hulse Mateo Polanco Toledo East Mike Espat Eden Martinez Charles Selgado Wil Maheia Toledo West Marcial Mes Juan Coy Max Cho Fermin Choc Dionisio Chuc ^ http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/10170505.html ^ http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=17316 News 5 report ^ http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=60 51% of Belizeans reject PUP, UDP! (Amandala) ^ http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=20 ^ http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/03200704.html 7 News story by Alfonso Noble ^ http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/04040706.html UB retort on 7 News ^ http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=18175 News 5 story ^ http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=18385 ^ http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=18847 Channel 5 News, July 9, 2007: Government plan for free textbooks ^ http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=18858 Channel 5 News, July 10, 2007: Southside project under fire from area rep ^ http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/08010709.html 7 News, August 2, 2007: Barrow on UDP's readiness ^ http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/08010708.html 7 News, August 2, 2007: Finnegan and voter transfers ^ http://www.7newsbelize.com/archive/08010707.html 7 News, August 2, 2007: 1 more month to transfer ^ Endorsed June 24.http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=18712 ^ Endorsed June 26.http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=18698 ^ Currently representing Cayo South. ^ son of current area rep v • d • e Belizean general elections 1954 | 1957 | 1961 | 1965 | 1969 | 1974 | 1979 | 1984 | 1989 | 1993 | 1998 | 2003 | 2008 Categories: Future elections | 2008 elections | Elections in Belize The Peoples United Party is the ruling Christian Democratic political party of Belize. ... The United Democratic Party is the main opposition political party in Belize. ... Vision Inspired by the People or VIP is a political party established in December 2005 in the Cayo District of Belize. ... The National Reform Party, already established, is a political party seeking office in order to eradicate poverty, crime and corruption in Belizean politics. ... The Peoples National Party of Belize is a young political movement based in Punta Gorda, Toledo District, Belize, which has declared candidacy for the 2008 general elections. ... We the People Reform Movement is a self-styled movement of independent candidates intended to cause a revolution in Belizean politics and society. ... Ralph Henry Fonseca (b. ... Belmopan, estimated population 12,300, is the capital of Belize. ... Jose Coye (b. ... Said Wilbert Musa, PC, (born March 19, 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician, and has been Prime Minister of Belize since August 28, 1998. ... John Briceño (b. ... Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a Belizean lawyer and politician and the leader of the United Democratic Party. ... Politics of Belize Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Belize ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belize. ... A legislative election was held in British Honduras in 28 April 1954. ... A legislative election was held in British Honduras on March 20, 1957. ... A legislative election was held in British Honduras on 26 March 1961. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 1 March 1965. ... A legislative election was held in British Honduras in December 1969. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on October 30, 1974. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 21 November 1979. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 14 December 1984. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 4 September 1989. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 30 June 1993. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 27 August 1998. ... A legislative election was held in Belize on 5 March 2003. ...

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