2003 Belizean general election

Last updated

2003 Belizean general election
Flag of Belize.svg
  1998 5 March 2003 2008  

All 29 seats in the House of Representatives
15 seats needed for a majority
Turnout79.55%
 First partySecond party
  Said Musa 2007.jpg Belizean Prime Minister, Dean Barrow in London, 27 June 2013 (cropped).jpg
Leader Said Musa Dean Barrow
Party PUP UDP
Leader's seat Fort George Queen's Square
Last election59.67%, 26 seats39.41%, 3 seats
Seats won22 seats7 seats
Seat changeDecrease2.svg4Increase2.svg4
Popular vote53,31444,996
Percentage53.54%45.19%
SwingDecrease2.svg6.13ppIncrease2.svg5.78pp

Belize general election 2003 - Results by Constituency.svg
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

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.

Contents

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

Belize National Assembly 2003.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
People's United Party 53,31453.5422–4
United Democratic Party 44,99645.197+4
Independents 1,2601.2700
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%
Albert 2,2861,78978.1Mark Espat People's United Party 1,48282.8
Marilyn Williams United Democratic Party 25314.1
Sydney Fuller Independent 543.0
Rejected votes130.7
Belize Rural Central 4,5433,17369.8 Ralph Fonseca People's United Party 2,11066.5
Colin Gillett United Democratic Party 1,06333.5
Rejected votes00.0
Belize Rural North 3,3412,70781.0 Maxwell Samuels People's United Party 1,44753.5
Felix Sutherland United Democratic Party 1,25146.2
Rejected votes90.3
Belize Rural South 3,7122,99380.6Manuel Heredia United Democratic Party 1,53951.4
Anna Patricia Arceo People's United Party 1,43047.8
Rejected votes240.8
Caribbean Shores 4,0233,02175.09 Jose Coye People's United Party 1,59252.7
Oscar Ayuso United Democratic Party 1,42947.3
Rejected votes240.8
Cayo Central 6,0224,84680.5Mario Castellanos People's United Party 2,43850.3
Rene Montero United Democratic Party 2,26046.6
Eduardo Juan Independent 631.3
Ivan Roberts Independent 260.5
Rejected votes581.2
Cayo North 6,8425,67282.9Ainslie Leslie People's United Party 2,91751.4
Dean Williams United Democratic Party 2,70747.7
Rejected votes490.9
Cayo South 8,3446,28775.4Agripino Cawich People's United Party 3,11149.5
John Saldivar United Democratic Party 3,08749.1
Rejected votes801.3
Cayo West 4,6564,01886.3Erwin Contreras United Democratic Party 2,18054.3
Kendall Mendez People's United Party 1,80044.8
Rejected votes30.9
Collet 2,848189266.4Patrick Faber United Democratic Party 94850.1
Remijio Montejo People's United Party 88947.0
Paul Jones Independent 552.9
Rejected votes00.0
Corozal Bay 5,2744,05876.9 Juan Vildo Marin People's United Party 2,08951.5
Carlos Castillo United Democratic Party 1,82745.0
Roy Rodriguez Independent 862.1
Rejected votes561.4
Corozal North 5,2763,49166.2Valdemar Castillo People's United Party 1,71349.1
Nemencio Acosta United Democratic Party 1,70548.8
Felipe Tzul Independent 561.6
Rejected votes170.5
Corozal South East 4,7524,19488.3Florencio Marin People's United Party 2,15551.4
Servando Samos United Democratic Party 1,93046.0
Hipolito Bautista Independent 621.5
Rejected votes471.1
Corozal South West 3,8933,47389.2Gabriel Martinez United Democratic Party 1,83552.8
Gregorio Garcia People's United Party 1,59345.9
Lucilo Teck Independent 200.6
Rejected votes250.7
Dangriga 4,2542,91468.5Sylvia Flores People's United Party 1,52752.4
Russell Garcia United Democratic Party 129944.6
Ian Caliz Independent 441.5
Rejected votes441.5
Fort George 2,0671,54674.8 Said Musa People's United Party 1,17376.6
Carlos Walker United Democratic Party 32020.9
Francis Gegg Independent 382.5
Rejected votes151.0
Freetown 2,5101,92576.7Francis Fonseca People's United Party 1,15460.0
Douglas Singh United Democratic Party 77140.0
Rejected votes00.0
Lake Independence 6,1764,44772.0Cordel Hyde People's United Party 2,76462.2
Anthony Leslie United Democratic Party 1,49933.7
Patrick Rogers Independent 962.5
Hubert Elrington Independent 882.0
Rejected votes611.4
Mesopotamia 2,1781,52269.9Michael Finnegan United Democratic Party 1,02455.8
Phillip Brackett People's United Party 95344.2
Rejected votes80.5
Orange Walk Central 3,3962,78281.9Johnny Briceno People's United Party 1,71361.6
Miguel Urbina United Democratic Party 1,05037.7
Rejected votes190.7
Orange Walk East 5,4864,59083.7Dave Burgos People's United Party 2,40052.3
Elodio Aragon United Democratic Party 2,14446.7
Rejected votes461.0
Orange Walk North 5,0264,32486.0Servulo Baeza People's United Party 2,25652.2
Phillip De La Fuente United Democratic Party 2,04047.2
Rejected votes280.6
Orange Walk South 5,2764,67588.6Ismael Cal People's United Party 2,65556.8
Julian Padron United Democratic Party 1,97142.2
Erwin Sanchez Independent 370.8
Rejected votes120.2
Pickstock 1,9871,61181.09 Godfrey Smith People's United Party 89955.8
Wilfred Elrington Independent 43927.3
Diane Haylock United Democratic Party 25215.6
Rejected votes211.3
Port Loyola 5,7984,01469.2Anthony Martinez United Democratic Party 2,38659.4
Dolores Balderamos-García People's United Party 1,56538.9
Rejected votes180.4
Queen's Square 2,6902,15680.2 Dean Barrow United Democratic Party 1,20355.8
Richard Bradley People's United Party 95344.2
Rejected votes170.8
Stann Creek West 5,7184,44577.7Rodwell Ferguson People's United Party 2,48655.9
Glenford Eiley United Democratic Party 1,89542.6
Michael Flores Independent 300.7
Rejected votes340.7
Toledo East 4,2693,32577.9Michael Espat People's United Party 1,75752.8
Eden Martinez United Democratic Party 1,56847.2
Rejected votes391.1
Toledo West 4,9084,34988.6Marcial Mes People's United Party 2,36854.5
Dennis Usher United Democratic Party 1,94044.6
Leonardo Acal Independent 210.5
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