With municipal elections fast approaching, the political arena is heating up. One of the municipalities that will see a convention for the PUP is Belmopan. But the current Mayor, Sheran Palacio, will not be contesting. She has withdrawn from the race and today the media asked the PUP chairman his thoughts on this.
Henry Charles Usher. Area Rep., Fort George
"First of all, I was disappointed to hear that not only Mayor Palacio, but other persons who had applied to run for councillors, had removed their names. I believe that, well, the PUP is a democratic party."
"We allow persons to contest. Anybody can contest any particular seat. The prime minister is on record to say if anybody wants to contest him in Orange Walk Central, they can certainly do that. And so in terms of the process to where the vetting committee went through the 125 applications that we had countrywide, decisions were made by the national executive as to the conventions to be held in each jurisdiction, each municipality."
"Mayor Palacio deciding not to be a part of that process. I wish her well. Certainly she has her time that she has to continue to be mayor from now until, well, until February, I believe, when her term will be up and in term of the council's countrywide will be up."
"And we expect that she will continue to govern in a way she has been governing Belmopan as mayor of the Belmopan and continue to provide the services that the Belmopan deserves."
Reports our newsroom has been getting say that it was made very clear to Palacio that her candidacy would not be welcomed.
