Village council elections continue into their second round this weekend. So who has the lead? Well this week, that's been a much-booted political football. 47 villages were up for election last weekend, and on Monday, the UDP claimed victory in 34 and the PUP claimed victory in 28 - in many cases both claimed the same villages.
Above the political uproar, best information that we can give you is that of the 22 contested seats where there were declared UDP slates versus PUP slates, the UDP won 13 of those 22. Of that 13 for the UDP, five were previously under declared PUP control.
Of course, there were other villages where either the UDP or PUP offered no slate, and a declared slate for either party maintained control. And that takes us to this weekend, where 55 village council elections will be held.
So where are the battlegrounds? One of the battleground villages is sure to be Trial Farm in Orange Walk North where the UDP deputy leader Gaspar Vega will try and steal away a long established PUP stronghold from incumbent Servulo Baeza. If Baeza is to remain viable politically, he must hold on to Trial Farm - and the test is thought to be almost, but not quite as steep for the UDP deputy.
San Jose in Orange Walk North also promises to be a contentious. In San Antonio Village in Cayo Central, another large long-held PUP village, it should also be a battleground. Cristo Rey in Cayo will also be one to watch. On Monday, we'll tell you how it all went.
