Another round of village council elections were held over the weekend and this time both parties are claming outright victories or majority control in 22 of 40 villages. Most consequentially, the PUP won the chairmanship and control of the Maskall Village Council which is the stomping ground of UDP Belize Rural North candidate Edmund Castro. For its part, the UDP won in PUP stronghold San Lazaro in the Orange Walk District and in St. Margaret's Village on the Hummingbird Highway, another long-held PUP village.
And while both parties have enough to boast about, all eyes were on the battleground in Hattieville. For area representative Ralph Fonseca, it was seen as possibly his last stand and the UDP hoped to pull an upset in a village that has been PUP for as long as it's been a village. Those high stakes set the stage for a dramatic day in a small village and here are some of the scenes.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
The line was the biggest story in Hattieville's village council elections on Sunday. The minimum wait was 2 hours and some reported waiting as long as three hours. But the stakes were high, and wait they did.
Hattieville is an inveterate PUP stronghold, but the strong visible presence
of UDP national figures who were either observing, or avoiding the dust clouds - did show that it is consequential for the Opposition.
The PUP national figures were not as numerous or as prominent on the ground, but the Belize Rural Central ground commander Ralph Fonseca Jr. stayed connected
and at the frontline.
And while there were fierce rivalries and shouting matches, there was also camaraderie on both sides of the political color bar. And to make sure things didn't get out of hand, the police led by the ADU kept a high visible presence. And when it did get out of hand, they were quick to break it up and disperse hostile groups.
And while the UDP would have wished to win Hattieville, the PUP had it, showing both muscle and mobilization, carefully escorting voters to their boots. And more than mobilization, this voter says they had money, he claims the PUP gave him this $50 to vote.
In the end it was a sound victory for new chairlady Sadie Martinez and her team. She told us why she was confident.
Sadie Martinez, Hattieville Chairlady
"I don't have any fear to go out there. I knew that I would have delivered. Although with the lot of things which they say about PUP and things like that, I know that Hattieville is a strong blue hold from time and it didn't go red, its only PUP. And the amount of jobs and thing Mr. Fonseca puts in this community, I know the people wouldn't have let him down."
Keith Swift,
Do you think his presence here yesterday, that that helped?
Sadie Martinez,
"Yes to me his presence, that helped a lot because the people saw him and they said now they feel good because my area representative is here."
But that area representative did not factor in Lord's Bank where the UDP had the strongest presence against a slate which stated that it was independent - but observers said was a PUP undercover slate. But in this much smaller village there were no long lines at the community center - and in the end the UDP was victorious.
There are only six villages left to hold elections this upcoming weekend.
