Last week Tuesday, we told you how the Belize Peace Movement is pressing for a Supreme Court injunction to stop the upcoming general election.
They want the election to be delayed until after their redistricting case is heard and disposed of. From their perspective, the election's delay would only be for a few months. And, if the injunction were to be granted, they believe that their lawsuit to trigger a redistricting before the general elections, and the redistricting exercise itself - if they win their case - could comfortably take place within that short delay. Well, the PUP, wants to block the Peace Movement's injunction application.
Our newsroom has seen court documents which indicate that the Opposition Leader, John Briceno, and Henry Charles Usher, the PUP Chairman, are applying to the court to become litigants.
The document, dated October 6th, declares the PUP's interest in joining the lawsuit.
It says the that Briceno, Usher, and the other selected candidates, quote, "have been campaigning for more than one year with the intention of standing in the general election with the intention of standing in the general elections to be held after… the Governor-General next dissolves the National Assembly." End quote.
They also state, quote, "The applicants and the People's United Party have made comprehensive plans… and expended substantial resources in preparation for the next general elections, and will be substantially prejudiced if the general elections are delayed." End quote.
If the presiding judge grants them permission to join, Briceno and Usher intend to argue that the court has no jurisdiction to issue an injunction restraining the holding of the general elections "after the National Assembly has been dissolved.".
As viewers will remember, the Governor-General dissolved the National Assembly last Tuesday, October 6th. From the PUP's perspective, the ball is rolling, and an injunction cannot be granted to stop it.
They say that the BPM's injunction, if granted, would offend the Separation of Powers Doctrine that is inherent in the Constitution, and that it would be null and void. They also intend to urge the court to refuse the Peace Movement's injunction application because of their "inordinate delay" in making it in the first place.
The best information to 7News is that no court hearing has been scheduled as yet to hear these applications. We'll keep following the case.
