BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 5, 2020– During a recent press conference, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that outgoing Port Loyola area representative, Anthony “Boots” Martinez, has expressed interest in contesting the Pickstock division and has recruited senior UDP and area representative for Mesopotamia, Michael Finnegan, as his campaign manager.

Martinez had said that he would not be contesting his constituency, Port Loyola, in future general elections.

Longstanding UDP area representative in Pickstock, Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, recently announced his resignation as area rep of the constituency, after an unsuccessful effort to be selected as the new leader of the party, and in the House of Representatives meeting yesterday, there were indications that he has “gone rogue,” as is evidenced by his blistering criticism of his government.

It thus appears that the void Elrington left in Pickstock will be filled by “Boots,” who will face the PUP standard-bearer, Anthony Mahler. Martinez had been announcing his exit from electoral politics for some years now, saying this term would be his last.

He was replaced by Philip Willoughby, who was elected UDP standard-bearer in the Port Loyola division. In commenting on Boots’ apparent crossover to the Pickstock constituency, Barrow shared,” I understand that not only is he contesting, I hear that he’s already acquired a campaign manager in the person of the one and only Michael Finnegan.”