Tonight, the General Elections are only 6 days away, and for this campaign, we've shown you the candidates in the Corozal, Orange Walk, and Belize Districts who are part of the 88 that will offer themselves on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
Tonight, we take a closer look at the political aspirants for the 6 constituencies in the Cayo District. Daniel Ortiz reports:
Going west to Cayo North, there are 3 candidates who have been nominated to contest the election.
The incumbent in this division is the UDP's Dr. Omar Figueroa. In January 2015, he was first elected in a by-election and in November 2015, he was defeated the PUP's Michel Chebat by a substantially smaller margin.
'Micho', who later became a parliamentarian as one of the PUP Senators, is back to challenge him for a second time.
The third candidate in this division is Kurt Lizarraga, a standard-bearer for Belize People's Front. He's a self-employed businessman from San Ignacio.
In Cayo Central, there are only 2 candidates.
The incumbent of this division is the UDP's Rene Montero, who is seeking his 4th term as area Rep.
Montero is being challenged this time around by PUP first timer Alex Balona.
In Cayo West, there are 3 standard-bearers who are contesting the General Elections, 1 UDP, 1 PUP, and 1 from the Belize People's Front.
The incumbent is the UDP's Erwin "Winchi" Contreras, who has been a parliamentarian since 1998, one of only three UDP seats to emerge in a PUP sweep. He's back to ask the voters his 6th term as their Area Rep in one of the UDP's strongest strongholds.
He's being challenged by the PUP's Jorge Emilio Espat, a fledgling politician who is dipping his toes in electoral politics for the first time. Espat is already facing opposition from political rivals who keep reminding the public that he was born in Guatemala.
The third candidate is the BPF's Edwardo Ayala, a resident of Benque Viejo, who is also making his first attempt as a politician.
In Cayo South, the voters once again have only 2 candidates to choose from.
The incumbent is the PUP's Julius Espat, who is seeking his 3rd term as a parliamentarian representing this division.
He being challenged for his seat by the UDP's Ramon Witz, a former Area Rep who won in 2008, lost in 2012, took a term off, and is now back on the political scene.
In Cayo North East, there are 3 candidates, and each of them is representing a different political party.
The incumbent is PUP's Orlando "Landy" Habet, who is seeking his 2nd term as the division's Area Rep.
John August Jr., the UDP candidate is back to challenge "Landy" Habet for a second time. In 2015, August lost this division to Habet by only 72 votes.
And the third candidate is Nefretery Nancy Marin, the leader of the Belize People's Front, another alternative mass political party that was formed to challenge the dominance of the PUP and the UDP. Marin has been outspoken on national issues for years, and for this election, she's entering the political arena for the first time.
And, in the Capital City of Belmopan, there are 3 candidates seeking elected office.
The incumbent is John Saldivar, the man who would have been the leader of the United Democratic Party, had it not been for the Lev Dermen scandal, which broke earlier this year, around the time he was offering himself to replace Dean Barrow. He is seeking his 5th term as Area Rep. in this division.
He's being challenged by the PUP's Oscar Mira, who has had aspirations for this division or a number of years and is now a candidate in his first general elections.
The division's final candidate is Anna Banner Guy who is running as an Independent. She has held elected office in Belmopan as a UDP City Councilor.
The only remaining candidates we haven't shown you yet are the ones from the south: Dangriga, Stann Creek West, Toledo East, and Toledo West. We'll have that for you on Monday.
