The People’s United Party today celebrates its 58th anniversary as a political party.
The PUP was formed from the remnants of the People’s Committee on September 29, 1950. The People’s Committee had been formed in January of that year in direct response to the announced devaluation of the British Honduran dollar on December 31, 1949.
From those humble beginnings, the PUP rose to command governance of Belize in 1954, and led Belize through self-government in 1963, the Guatemala troubles in the 1970s and ultimately to independence in 1981 – 27 long years.
However, in 1984, the PUP would go down to electoral defeat from its opponent, the United Democratic Party (UDP), formed 15 years after the PUP, in 1973. After Independence in 1981, the parties have traded Independence Hill in every general election since 1984, when the UDP were first elected, until 2003, when the PUP were reelected for a second term.
In general elections held on February 7, 2008, the PUP lost by a landslide, 25-6, to the UDP.