Last week we told you about the 88 candidates who put in their candidacy on nomination day.
That's 31 each for the UDP and PUP, 13 for the Belize Popular Front, 8 for the Belize Progressive Party and 5 running independent of any party.
Over the next few nights we'll introduce you to these candidates - and Daniel Ortiz begins the countdown tonight in Belize City:
88 politicians are seeking elected office on November 11th. 31 are PUP standard-bearers, led by John Briceno. 31 are UDP standard-bearers, led by Patrick Faber.
13 come from the fledgling Belize People's Front Party, which is being led by Nefretery Nancy Marin. 8 are from the Belize Progressive Party, the green party that has already offered itself in past elections as alternatives to the PUDP. Their leader is Patrick Rogers.
The other 5 are independent candidates, who are seeking elected office without any party affiliation.
Voters in some of the 31 constituencies will have a variety of candidates to choose from. Others will simply have to make with the traditional red and blue candidates.
In Freetown, electors have a choice between UDP newcomer Orson Jerome Elrington, better known as "OJ", and the incumbent, PUP's Francis Fonseca, who is seeking a fifth consecutive term.
For Caribbean Shores voters, the choice is between the PUP incumbent Kareem Musa, who is seeking his second term, and UDP's Lee Mark Chang, well-known as the former President of the Senate, who last tried his hand in Freetown in 2012.
Pickstock voters have 3 candidates to choose from, and all of them are new faces to the division. There is the PUP's Anthony Mahler in his first general election, and the UDP's Anthony "Uncle Boots" Martinez - in his sixth - after coming over from Port Loyola.
And then, there is the Belize Progressive Party's Patrick Rogers, who is running in his fourth election - but has never gotten more than 5% of the vote. In Fort George, the voters of that traditional PUP stronghold will also get to choose between 3 candidates.
There is the PUP's Henry Charles Usher, who will attempt to succeed his father, Said Musa, and continue the PUP's 30 year stronghold in that division. Usher will have to defend it against the UDP's Melvin "Mello" Hewlett, and the BPP's Wil Maheia, who thinks that he'll have more success politically than in Toledo East, where he has tried his hand in parliamentary politics three times before.
In the Albert Division, there are only 2 candidates, the same two that ran in the 2015 General Elections. Once again, UDP Area Rep., Tracy Taegar-Panton, who first won in 2015, will have to defend her seat against, the PUP's Paul Thompson - trying for a second time in the division where he has been politically active since the late 90's.
Queen Square is another division where an interesting election race will take place. Prime Minister Dean Barrow, the UDP Area Representative that has dominated the polls in that division for 8 consecutive terms, is retiring from electoral politics. His sister, Denise "Sista B" Barrow, who has been his political officer and the key to his political success is taking over. Earlier this month, she made a rare public statement as her brother's successor:
The BPP's Garry Matus, and the PUP's Allan Pollard, who is currently a Belize City Councillor. The election race in Mesopotamia is also unusual because the 6 term representative, Michael Finnegan is retiring. Leaving one of the UDP's safest seats to his nephew and son of the Prime Minister, Shyne Barrow.
Shyne is contesting the election against the PUP's Dr. Candice Pitts, who is also running in her first general election. In Lake Independence, Dianne "Miss D" Finnegan, wife of the retiring Michael Finnegan, is trying her hand for the first time in electoral politics. She is going up against Incumbent Cordel Hyde, the PUP Deputy Leader and four term representative.
In the Collet constituency, Oscar "Polo" Arnold, the former PUP Deputy Mayor of Belize City who stepped down to pursue his candidacy, is going up against the UDP Leader, Patrick Faber, who has held that parliamentary seat for 4 terms, and is now hoping it vaults him to the office of Prime Minister.
In Port Loyola, there are 3 candidates to choose from, and whoever wins, they will be in parliament for the very first time. Phillip "Superman" Willoughby, who we at 7News affectionately call "Phillougby", is hoping to succeed Anthony "Uncle Boots" Martinez, who won it for the UDP for four terms. Willoughby is being challenged for Port by Gilroy Usher Sr., the PUP candidate who lost to "Uncle Boots" in the 2015 General Elections. If neither candidate suits the Port Loyola voters, they can choose Evan "Boo Boo" Thompson, the newcomer from the Belize Progressive Party.
Tune in tomorrow, when we'll continue with our overview of the pending election in 10 more electoral constituencies.
Notably, Stann Creek West is the only constituency where electors will have 5 choices - one PUP, one UDP, One BPP and two independents.
