My Election Day in Belize: A Bit of Rain and a UDP Victory

The UDP has won in Belize – 18 seats vs. 13 seats, I believe is the current countrywide count – and Prime Minister Dean Barrow is taking his third term.  Currently, there is no limit on terms that a prime minister can hold.

For the best updates and counts, this Facebook page “Belize Live Elections” seems to have the scoop.

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Yesterday, in a drive through town at about 2:30pm, JUST before some rain started to fall…I took some photos of the proceedings.  Many were voting, many were gathered but things were rather low key…

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Here is what I saw.   NB: I can not vote.  I have been able to apply for citizenship for a few years now and NEED TO GET ON THAT!  I was pretty bent out of shape yesterday that I couldn’t…but it’s my own fault.  I, instead, congratulated everyone with a purple finger.  And I saw lots of them.

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It is the law.

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Even the toll booth at the bridge was closed for elections.  Free passage to the polls.

They worked day and night to pave this street over the last few days…and it is ALMOST done.  It doesn’t quite connect to the beach.

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But it paved the way to “election alley” – the sidestreet with this restaurant at the south end and the high school at the north end.  The poll center.

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SO about to rain…I took cover under the PUP tent.  They were handing out waters and juices to workers and supporters.

The High School and the mayor and Candidate Elito meeting people at the gates.

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The rain was coming (and now…at 7:45am the next day it is POURING) – I went to wait it out on a dock.

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The votes wouldn’t be counted until later that night…and we still need to wait for the exact results but there was a HUGE rally in our town when it was called.

And I know that the local press will have many more photos.

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UDP:  2015-2020, “The Best is Yet To Come”.  I am so ready for it.   Here is a link to their 40 page manifesto released before the elections.

Here is this morning’s BBC article on the win – a short one but a bit of outside perspective.

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