body,td,th { font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; }
Tonight, Shyne Barrow's hold on leadership of the UDP has visibly weakened. First there was this Guardian headline which pronounced Tracy Panton as the new leader in no less than the party organ. And then came a much heavier blow.
At 11:00 am -two prominent standard bearers declared support for Tracy Panton as interim leader. They are Cayo North's Omar Figueroa and Orange Walk East's Elodio Aragon. They did so in letters to leader Shyne Barrow telling him that they and their delegates had chosen Tracy and why.
The letter signed by Figueroa and all his delegates says, quote, "Although most of us remained neutral in the Leadership Convention held on October 20th 2024.Certainly, such a loud voice from our party delegates and supporters is undeniable and cannot be dismissed or disregarded.We join with the call of the delegates as we recognize Hon Tracy Taeger Panton as the interim Leader, Sheena Pitts as the Interim Chairman, and their executive as the single executive of the Great United Democratic Party.
Figueroa's defection is more significant than Aragon's because Cayo North is seen as a seat that is in play which the UDP may be able to regain, and because up to this point that constituency had remained neutral.
