All through the news we've been telling you about the PUP's decisive victory in the municipal elections. Jules Vasquez looked at some of the numbers that jumped out
It is the single largest municipal loss in history: the UDP went from controlling 6 municipalities, to controlling ZERO, while holding only two seats of 67, down from the 41 they won just three years ago - a two thousand per cent decrease.
It is a staggering quantum of defeat, but, not unexpected when one takes into consideration what happened at the polls just three months ago when the UDP only ended up with 5 seats and 37.4% of the popular vote, the second worst defeat in history.
And now this is the biggest single slippage ever at the municipal level where the UDP now controls only two seats nationally.
Coming off its blistering defeat at the polls in 2008, the PUP managed to win three seats in the 2009 municipals.
They did that in Orange Walk - their strongest town before and since - and the UDP have now managed to do it in Cayo, which has to now be considered their strongest stronghold, since it is no longer in the city.
And just like the PUP in 2009, they hold it by a hair's breadth - the mayor won by a narrow margin, and so did the only other elected UDP councillor Bernadette Fernandez - but have been on the council for just about 2 decades.
In Punta Gorda, And, the UDP has ventured into 3rd party territory, with three councillors from the the BPP slate getting more votes than UDP candidates. The PUP had a similar outcome against the VIP in Belmopan in 2009.
So, in a sense the downfall of the UDP in 2020 and 2021, can be compared to the PUP in 2008 and 2009.
Except, it's a little worse - when one considers the margins in Orange Walk and Belize City.
In Belize city, the PUP mayor got 500 fewer votes than last time, but his UDP opponent Orson Picart got four thousand fewer votes than the last UDP mayoral candidate in 2018. His councillor candidates performed along that same line, four thousand votes less than their predecessors.
And, in Orange Walk the margin was incredible - almost four to one - with the PUP making red dust out of the UDP.
Orlando "Chicle" Castillo
"The numbers don't lie and the numbers are saying that they are not happy with the UDP here in Orange Walk Town and it is something that I will try my best to change."
On the upside, the UDP came within striking distance in Benque Viejo with this emotional thank you by deflated mayoral candidate Mike Guerra.
At the end of the day, the feeling is the UDP voters, if they're still out there, did not come out for this election
Hon. John Briceno - Prime Minister/PUP Leader
"For us it's not because we believe that we have taken out all our supporters, I think it is the other side that did not manage to motivate their voters to come out and vote for them and support them."
The official figures were just published this evening, and we'll have a closer breakdown of the numbers tomorrow.
