Belizean general election, 2003

Belizean general election, 2003

5 March 2003

All 29 seats in the Belize House of Representatives   First party Second party   Leader Said Musa Dean Barrow Party PUP UDP Leader since 1996 1998 Leader's seat Fort George Queen's Square Last election 26 seats 3 seats Seats won 22 seats 7 seats Seat change 4 4 Popular vote 52,934 45,376 Percentage 53.16% 45.57% Swing 6.51 6.16

Prime Minister before election Said Musa PUP Elected Prime Minister Said Musa PUP

A legislative election was held in Belize on 5 March 2003. Belizeans elected 29 members to the House of Representatives for a term of five years.

The ruling People's United Party (PUP) won the largest share (22) of seats in the election.

Background

The PUP were seeking a second consecutive term in office after recording significant development in the economy from 1998 to 2003. Their opponents, the UDP, sought to replace them in office because of charges of corruption and mismanagement of public funds. Previous to this election, the parties had alternated their time in office since independence.

As an aside, municipal elections had originally been called for this date, creating a situation of triple elections in one day, a first for the Caribbean region according to Myrtle Palacio of the EBD.

As a postscript, Cayo South winner Agripino Cawich Sr. died of illness in August 2003. UDP candidate John Saldivar, who had lost to Cawich in March, won the subsequent by-election over son Joaquin Cawich in October.

This general election was also the first in Belizean history in which former Prime Minister George Cadle Price was not a candidate. Price, who stood down from the Pickstock constituency, had contested every prior general election since 1954, winning each time except 1984.^[1]

Dissolving the House

After what Prime Minister Said Musa called a "drawn-out" campaign that he said affected the country's ability to function, Musa called a house meeting on January 24, 2003^[2] and formally announced that he had asked Governor General Sir Colville Young to dissolve the National Assembly of Belize by February 4, decree nomination of candidates for elections on February 17, and call elections on March 5.

Elections were called early; they had not been constitutionally due until at least November 2003. The Opposition UDP, led by attorney Dean Barrow and eager to recover from the disastrous 1998 campaign, declared themselves ready to battle. Governor General Young officially issued the proclamation dissolving the House on February 4,^[3] as requested by Mr. Musa.

PUP preparations

The People's United Party had nominated candidates through much of 2001 and 2002. Among the more hotly contested races was Pickstock, where Attorney General and Senator Godfrey Smith defeated Bobby Usher of the PUP old guard. A number of other sitting members declared that they would not run again, including Jorge Espat in Freetown (relieved by Francis Fonseca) and Henry Canton in Stann Creek West (replaced by Rodwell Ferguson).

The PUP prepared a visually oriented campaign, stressing their accomplishments in office as the governing party and citing weak links in the UDP armor.

UDP preparations

The United Democratic Party's selection process was rife with controversy. In May 2002, Pickstock standard bearer and musician Kenny Morgan was removed^[4] (he would eventually be replaced by Diane Haylock). Attorney Wilfred Elrington contested Pickstock independently after running into party officials over Haylock's appointment; brother Hubert, who had already left the party, likewise contested independently in Lake Independence against the sitting Cordel Hyde. Another bone of contention was Albert, where the UDP selected Marilyn Williams over Sydney Fuller. Fuller ran independently but Williams was herself the subject of investigation over allegations that she was a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible to participate in the elections. Representatives in Lake Independence and Belize Rural Central were also replaced.^[5]

Independent/third party preparations

This was the first election for the We the People Reform Movement, which put up candidates in Corozal, Orange Walk and Belize District. Independents appeared in all six districts. The election was tagged as featuring the highest number of independent candidates ever, including former UDP candidate Wilfred Elrington in Pickstock. Elrington finished second to winner Godfrey Smith but doubled up UDP choice Diane Haylock.

Election supervision

The elections were supervised by the Elections and Boundaries Department, headed by Chief Elections Officer Myrtle Palacio and her four person administrative staff. In preparation for the possibility of general elections and the certainty of municipal elections, the EBD had cleaned out their electoral rolls following the 1998 re-registration exercise, sought to boost voter confidence through the media, and trained fellow civil servants across the country to prepare for the rigorous test of conducting three separate elections in one day.

The EBD commanded 1,432 election workers, 567 municipal, 865 general. The workers were divided according to post: returning officer (in charge of the station and vote), election clerks and assistants, presiding officers (at each polling area), poll clerks and assistants, and counting clerks. Statutory Instruments Nos. 14 and 43 of 2003 respectively guaranteed voters the right to register up to February 10, 2003 in lieu of nomination day and allowed for more counting agents assigned to the general elections.

On election day itself, despite the usual early headaches, voting went smoothly. Palacio noted in her end of year report that no petitions for recounts were presented for any election. Nevertheless, The Guardian newspaper of March 16 saw an article written by then member of the Elections and Boundaries Commission and editor Herbert Panton, which criticized the electoral process. For more, see the Guardian article.

Media coverage

A number of media houses joined forces to cover wire-to-wire the events of March 5. Great Belize Television (Channel 5) announced a partnership with RSV Media Center, headlined by LOVE FM, on January 13, 2003.^[6] Their coverage used the tagline "Decision 2003."

Later on, Tropical Vision Limited Channel 7 teamed up with fledgling Krem Television and Radio. Their coverage was nicknamed "The Moment" and used "Lose Yourself" by Eminem as its theme song.

Campaigning

The 2003 general election can be considered one of the most glitzy and packaged. The PUP ran a mostly upbeat campaign, focusing on celebrating the works achieved in its five years in office. The campaign was highlighted by the release of a CD of political campaign songs written by prominent Belizeans, particularly "Welcome to the Party" by Supa G. "Party" saw three translations and numerous airings over the course of two months of campaigning, invariably accompanied by PUP officials smiling and making contact with their constituents.^[7]

The UDP chose substance over style in a realist campaign. Their commercials and statements attacked what they saw as latent corruption in the PUP's governing of the country. In February a broadside of scandals rocked the retiring administration, in sectors as varied as transport and education, and the UDP pushed every single one as an indication of the things the UDP would not tolerate if elected.^[8]

We The People and other independent candidates stressed their belief that the system needed to change and that overall life needed to be improved for all Belizeans. The independents were not as heavily represented on the media but saw their opportunities as they came.^[9]

Election day and aftermath

Election day began at 5:00 am for workers and 7:00 AM for voters. Voters participated from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM; counting began at 8:00 PM. Palacio reported that Pickstock's result, a victory for Godfrey Smith, was the first official result to come in, at 10:00 PM. By 12:45 AM Thursday morning, the PUP had amassed the majority fifteen seats,^[10] and by 1:10 AM could start celebrating as the CEO stamped the particulars. While the UDP had regained 6% of votes over the 1998 results, the PUP still beat them 53-45.

Election results

 Summary of the 5 March 2003 Belize House of Representatives election results

Parties	Votes	%	Seats
People's United Party	52,934	53.16	22
United Democratic Party	45,376	45.57	7
Independents	1,260	1.27	-
Total valid votes	99,570	100.00	29
Invalid votes	867	0.72	-
Total votes cast (Registered voters: 156,993; turnout: 77.18%)	121,168	100.00	31

Detailed General election results by constituency

Electoral Division	Candidate	Political Party	# of Registered Voters	Total Votes Cast	% of Registered Voters	# of Votes	% of Votes
Caribbean Shores	Jose Coye	PUP	4023	3021	75.09%	1592	52.7%
	Oscar Ayuso	UDP				1429	47.3%
Freetown	Francis Fonseca	PUP	2510	1925	76.7%	1154	60.0%
	Douglas Singh	UDP				771	40.0%
Pickstock	Godfrey Smith	PUP	1987	1611	81.09%	899	55.8%
	Wilfred Elrington	Independent				439	27.3%
	Diane Haylock	UDP				252	15.6%
Fort George	Said Musa	PUP	2067	1546	74.8%	1173	76.6%
	Carlos Walker	UDP				320	20.9%
	Francis Gegg	Independent				38	2.5%
Lake Independence	Cordel Hyde	PUP	6176	4447	72.0%	2764	62.2%
	Anthony Leslie	UDP				1499	33.7%
	Hubert Elrington	Independent				88	2.0%
	Patrick Rogers	Independent				96	2.5%
Albert	Mark Espat	PUP	2286	1789	78.1%	1482	82.8%
	Marilyn Williams	UDP				253	14.1%
	Sydney Fuller	Independent				54	3.0%
Collet	Patrick Faber	UDP	2848	1892	66.4%	948	50.1%
	Remijio Montejo	PUP				889	47.0%
	Paul Jones	Independent				55	2.9%
Mesopotamia	Michael Finnegan	UDP	2178	1522	69.9%	1024	55.8%
	Phillip Brackett	PUP				953	44.2%
Queen's Square	Dean Barrow	UDP	2690	2156	80.2%	1203	55.8%
	Richard Bradley	PUP				953	44.2%
Port Loyola	Anthony Martinez	UDP	5798	4014	69.2%	2386	59.4%
	Dolores Balderamos-García	PUP				1565	38.9%
Belize Rural North	Maxwell Samuels	PUP	3341	2707	81.0	1447	53.5
	Felix Sutherland	UDP				1251	46.2%
Belize Rural Central	Ralph Fonseca	PUP	4543	3173	69.8%	2110	66.5%
	Colin Gillett	UDP				1063	33.5%
Belize Rural South	Manuel Heredia	UDP	3712	2993	80.6%	1539	51.4
	Anna Patricia Arceo	PUP				1430	47.8%
Orange Walk North	Servulo Baeza	PUP	5026	4324	86.0	2256	52.2
	Phillip De La Fuente	UDP				2040	47.2%
Orange Walk Central	Johnny Briceno	PUP	3396	2782	81.9%	1713	61.6
	Miguel Urbina	UDP				1050	37.7%
Orange Walk East	Dave Burgos	PUP	5486	4590	83.7%	2400	52.3%
	Elodio Aragon	UDP				2144	46.7%
Orange Walk South	Ismael Cal	PUP	5276	4675	88.6	2655	56.8%
	Julian Padron	UDP				1971	42.2%
	Erwin Sanchez	Independent				37	0.8%
Cayo North	Ainslie Leslie	PUP	6842	5672	82.9	2917	51.4%
	Dean Williams	UDP				2707	47.7%
Cayo South	Agripino Cawich	PUP	8344	6287	75.4	3111	49.5%
	John Saldivar	UDP				3087	49.1
Cayo West	Erwin Contreras	UDP	4656	4018	86.3	2180	54.3
	Kendall Mendez	PUP				1800	44.8
Cayo Central	Mario Castellanos	PUP	6022	4846	80.5	2438	50.3%
	Rene Montero	UDP				2260	46.6
	Eduardo Juan	Independent				63	1.3%
	Ivan Roberts	Independent				26	0.5%
Corozal North	Valdemar Castillo	PUP	5276	3491	66.2	1713	49.1
	Nemencio Acosta	UDP				1705	48.8%
	Felipe Tzul	Independent				56	1.6%
Corozal Southwest	Gabriel Martinez	UDP	3893	3473	89.2%	1835	52.8%
	Gregorio Garcia	PUP				1593	45.9%
	Lucilo Teck	Independent				20	0.6%
Corozal Bay	Juan Vildo Marin	PUP	5274	4058	76.9	2089	51.5%
	Carlos Castillo	UDP				1827	45.0
	Roy Rodriguez	Independent				86	2.1%
Corozal Southeast	Florencio Marin	PUP	4752	4194	88.3%	2155	51.4%
	Servando Samos	UDP				1930	46.0%
	Hipolito Bautista	Independent				62	1.5
Dangriga	Sylvia Flores	PUP	4254	2914	68.5	1527	52.4%
	Russell Garcia	UDP				1299	44.6
	Ian Caliz	Independent				44	1.5
Stann Creek West	Rodwell Ferguson	PUP	5718	4445	77.7	2486	55.9%
	Glenford Eiley	UDP				1895	42.6
	Michael Flores	Independent				30	0.7%
Toledo West	Marcial Mes	PUP	4908	4349	88.6	2368	54.5
	Dennis Usher	UDP				1940	44.6
	Leonardo Acal	Independent				21	0.5%
Toledo East	Michael Espat	PUP	4269	3325	77.9	1757	52.8
	Eden Martinez	UDP				1568	47.2%

References

1. Elections Results, Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission. (accessed 19 November 2014)
2. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=9842 It's official
3. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=10005 Governor General dissolves House
4. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=8882 UDP replace Morgan in Pickstock
5. Channel5Belize.COM
6. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_news_cast.php?news_date=2003-01-13#a10 Channel 5, January 13: Five, Love join for full coverage
7. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_news_cast.php?news_date=2003-02-17#a1 PUP confident of victory
8. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=9710 UDP focused and ready
9. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_news_cast.php?news_date=2003-02-17#a3 Independents have their say
10. http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_nc_results.php#a1 Power to the PUP