BELIZE CITY–The Ministry of Labour, Local Government, Rural Development, NEMO and Immigration and Nationality has submitted a request to the Elections and Boundaries Department for a by-election for the village of Santa Familia, Cayo District, after four of seven village council members formally tendered their resignation last month.

An official source told our newspaper that two Government officers were separately dispatched to the village to attempt to help the village council reps to reconcile their differences, triggered by infighting between rival political camps, but the village council members have decided to maintain their stance.

Reports to our newspaper are that there was a UDP standard-bearer convention for Cayo Northeast and the schism stemmed from the fact that the village councilors were split in their support for the contenders.

Rafael Humes, Jr.; Yuri Obando; Juanita Carillo and Irbin Tun resigned, claiming that the chairman and standard bearer for the UDP have asked them to resign, and clearly stated that they are not willing to work with the faction of village council members, because they did not support John August and party chairman, Alberto August, in the UDP convention.

After receiving the letter informing them of the situation, the ministry sent out staff members to attempt reconciliation.

“The four said they have various reasons why they will resign,” Rural Development Coordinator, Ernest Banner, told our newspaper.

Banner said that the village council was elected to serve until May 2016, but the resignations will trigger a by-election within 20 to 60 days.

He said that he had just spoken this afternoon with an official from the Elections and Boundaries Department, and they are waiting for the department to inform them of the date on which the Santa Familia by-election is to be held.