Belizean general election, 1979

Belizean general election, 1979

21 November 1979

All 18 seats in the Belize House of Representatives   First party Second party   UDP Leader George Cadle Price Dean Lindo Party PUP UDP Leader since 1956 1974 Leader's seat Freetown Fort George (lost seat) Last election 12 seats 6 seats Seats before 13 seats 5 seats Seats won 13 seats 5 seats Seat change Popular vote 23,309 21,045 Percentage 52.4% 47.4% Swing 0.26 8.47

Premier before election George Cadle Price PUP Elected Premier George Cadle Price PUP

General elections were held in Belize on 21 November 1979.^[1] The result was a victory for the ruling People's United Party, which won 13 of the 18 seats. Voter turnout was 89.9%.^[1][2]

Background

The PUP went into the election with a 13-5 majority, having picked up a seat after the previous election when Toledo District Area Rep. Vicente Choco crossed the floor from the opposition United Democratic Party in 1975.^[3] The election results confirmed that 13-5 majority.

In 1979, Belizeans were concerned about their progress toward independence and the Guatemalan claim to the colony. The UDP were not in favour of advancing on the former issue without a substantial settlement of the latter, and this led the PUP to turn the election into a sort of referendum on that question. By their turnout (a record high) and their support for the PUP, Belizeans made clear their preferences and set in motion the chain of events that would lead to independence in 1981.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
People's United Party	23,309	52.4	13	0
United Democratic Party	21,045	47.4	5	0
Toledo Progressive Party	96	0.2	0	New
Invalid/blank votes	521	-	-	-
Total	44,971	100	18	0
Source: Nohlen

References

1. Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p104 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
2. General Elections 1979, Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission. (accessed 19 November 2014)
3. Ramos, Adele. "Bombshell: Mahmud resigns!", Amandala, 25 November 2014. (accessed 4 December 2014)