2003 Belizean general election

2003 Belizean general election
5 March 2003
All 29 seats in the House of Representatives
15 seats needed for a majority
Turnout79.55%
 First partySecond party
 
LeaderSaid MusaDean Barrow
PartyPUPUDP
Leader's seatFort GeorgeQueen's Square
Last election59.67%, 26 seats39.41%, 3 seats
Seats won22 seats7 seats
Seat changeDecrease4Increase4
Popular vote53,31444,996
Percentage53.54%45.19%
SwingDecrease6.13ppIncrease5.78pp
Popular vote by constituency. As Belize uses the FPTP electoral system, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each constituency
Prime Minister before election

Said Musa
PUP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Said Musa
PUP

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General elections were held in Belize on 5 March 2003. Belizeans elected 29 members to the House of Representatives for a term of five years. The result was a victory for the ruling People's United Party (PUP), which won 22 of the 29 seats.

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]

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.

Campaign

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.

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]

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.

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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

Conduct

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.

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.[9] 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.

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.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
People's United Party53,31453.5422–4
United Democratic Party44,99645.197+4
Independents1,2601.2700
Total99,570100.00290
Valid votes99,57099.18
Invalid/blank votes8220.82
Total votes100,392100.00
Registered voters/turnout126,20279.55
Source: Elections and Boundaries Department

By constituency

DivisionElectorateTurnout%CandidatePartyVotes%
Albert2,2861,78978.1Mark EspatPeople's United Party1,48282.8
Marilyn WilliamsUnited Democratic Party25314.1
Sydney FullerIndependent543.0
Rejected votes130.7
Belize Rural Central4,5433,17369.8Ralph FonsecaPeople's United Party2,11066.5
Colin GillettUnited Democratic Party1,06333.5
Rejected votes00.0
Belize Rural North3,3412,70781.0Maxwell SamuelsPeople's United Party1,44753.5
Felix SutherlandUnited Democratic Party1,25146.2
Rejected votes90.3
Belize Rural South3,7122,99380.6Manuel HerediaUnited Democratic Party1,53951.4
Anna Patricia ArceoPeople's United Party1,43047.8
Rejected votes240.8
Caribbean Shores4,0233,02175.09Jose CoyePeople's United Party1,59252.7
Oscar AyusoUnited Democratic Party1,42947.3
Rejected votes240.8
Cayo Central6,0224,84680.5Mario CastellanosPeople's United Party2,43850.3
Rene MonteroUnited Democratic Party2,26046.6
Eduardo JuanIndependent631.3
Ivan RobertsIndependent260.5
Rejected votes581.2
Cayo North6,8425,67282.9Ainslie LesliePeople's United Party2,91751.4
Dean WilliamsUnited Democratic Party2,70747.7
Rejected votes490.9
Cayo South8,3446,28775.4Agripino CawichPeople's United Party3,11149.5
John SaldivarUnited Democratic Party3,08749.1
Rejected votes801.3
Cayo West4,6564,01886.3Erwin ContrerasUnited Democratic Party2,18054.3
Kendall MendezPeople's United Party1,80044.8
Rejected votes30.9
Collet2,848189266.4Patrick FaberUnited Democratic Party94850.1
Remijio MontejoPeople's United Party88947.0
Paul JonesIndependent552.9
Rejected votes00.0
Corozal Bay5,2744,05876.9Juan Vildo MarinPeople's United Party2,08951.5
Carlos CastilloUnited Democratic Party1,82745.0
Roy RodriguezIndependent862.1
Rejected votes561.4
Corozal North5,2763,49166.2Valdemar CastilloPeople's United Party1,71349.1
Nemencio AcostaUnited Democratic Party1,70548.8
Felipe TzulIndependent561.6
Rejected votes170.5
Corozal South East4,7524,19488.3Florencio MarinPeople's United Party2,15551.4
Servando SamosUnited Democratic Party1,93046.0
Hipolito BautistaIndependent621.5
Rejected votes471.1
Corozal South West3,8933,47389.2Gabriel MartinezUnited Democratic Party1,83552.8
Gregorio GarciaPeople's United Party1,59345.9
Lucilo TeckIndependent200.6
Rejected votes250.7
Dangriga4,2542,91468.5Sylvia FloresPeople's United Party1,52752.4
Russell GarciaUnited Democratic Party129944.6
Ian CalizIndependent441.5
Rejected votes441.5
Fort George2,0671,54674.8Said MusaPeople's United Party1,17376.6
Carlos WalkerUnited Democratic Party32020.9
Francis GeggIndependent382.5
Rejected votes151.0
Freetown2,5101,92576.7Francis FonsecaPeople's United Party1,15460.0
Douglas SinghUnited Democratic Party77140.0
Rejected votes00.0
Lake Independence6,1764,44772.0Cordel HydePeople's United Party2,76462.2
Anthony LeslieUnited Democratic Party1,49933.7
Patrick RogersIndependent962.5
Hubert ElringtonIndependent882.0
Rejected votes611.4
Mesopotamia2,1781,52269.9Michael FinneganUnited Democratic Party1,02455.8
Phillip BrackettPeople's United Party95344.2
Rejected votes80.5
Orange Walk Central3,3962,78281.9Johnny BricenoPeople's United Party1,71361.6
Miguel UrbinaUnited Democratic Party1,05037.7
Rejected votes190.7
Orange Walk East5,4864,59083.7Dave BurgosPeople's United Party2,40052.3
Elodio AragonUnited Democratic Party2,14446.7
Rejected votes461.0
Orange Walk North5,0264,32486.0Servulo BaezaPeople's United Party2,25652.2
Phillip De La FuenteUnited Democratic Party2,04047.2
Rejected votes280.6
Orange Walk South5,2764,67588.6Ismael CalPeople's United Party2,65556.8
Julian PadronUnited Democratic Party1,97142.2
Erwin SanchezIndependent370.8
Rejected votes120.2
Pickstock1,9871,61181.09Godfrey SmithPeople's United Party89955.8
Wilfred ElringtonIndependent43927.3
Diane HaylockUnited Democratic Party25215.6
Rejected votes211.3
Port Loyola5,7984,01469.2Anthony MartinezUnited Democratic Party2,38659.4
Dolores Balderamos-GarcíaPeople's United Party1,56538.9
Rejected votes180.4
Queen's Square2,6902,15680.2Dean BarrowUnited Democratic Party1,20355.8
Richard BradleyPeople's United Party95344.2
Rejected votes170.8
Stann Creek West5,7184,44577.7Rodwell FergusonPeople's United Party2,48655.9
Glenford EileyUnited Democratic Party1,89542.6
Michael FloresIndependent300.7
Rejected votes340.7
Toledo East4,2693,32577.9Michael EspatPeople's United Party1,75752.8
Eden MartinezUnited Democratic Party1,56847.2
Rejected votes391.1
Toledo West4,9084,34988.6Marcial MesPeople's United Party2,36854.5
Dennis UsherUnited Democratic Party1,94044.6
Leonardo AcalIndependent210.5
Rejected votes200.4

References

  1. ^ Elections Results Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine, Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission. (accessed 19 November 2014)
  2. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007. It's official
  3. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007. Governor General dissolves House
  4. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007. UDP replace Morgan in Pickstock
  5. ^ Channel5Belize.COM Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007. PUP confident of victory
  7. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007. UDP focused and ready
  8. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007. Independents have their say
  9. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2007. Channel 5, January 13: Five, Love join for full coverage
  10. ^ "Channel5Belize.COM". Archived from the original on 27 April 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2007. Power to the PUP
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