(Top l-r) Hon. Marconi Leal, Jr., Hon. Devin Daly and Hon. Thea Garcia; (Bottom l-r) Hon. Lee-Mark Chang, Hon. Godwin Haylock and Hon. Miguel Mike Guerra
by William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELMOPAN, Mon. May 5, 2025
The National Assembly will welcome 6 new Members to the House of Representatives and 6 new Senators at the first ceremonial opening of the 14th session of House and the 15th session of the Senate in Belmopan on Friday, May 9. The National Assembly Building is still undergoing renovations, so the ceremony will be held in the open air, on the quad in front of the Sir Edney Cain Building, adjacent to the headquarters of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO).
The House welcomes three new PUP Members: the “David who toppled Goliath” – the member for Collet, Hon. Devin Daly – Minister of State for Sports; the member for Belize Rural North – Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Hon. Marconi Leal, Jr.; and the member for Corozal Bay – Minister of Human Development, Family Support, and Gender Affairs, Hon. Thea Garcia Ramirez.
The Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) side of the House will also welcome three new Members: for Mesopotamia – Hon. Lee Mark Chang who unseated Hon. Moses “Shyne” Barrow; for Queen Square – Hon. Godwin Haylock, who replaces the former member – Denise “Sister B” Barrow; and the member for Cayo West – Hon. Miguel Guerra. They join the new UDP leader and member for Albert, Hon. Tracy Panton; and Corozal North area representative, Hon. Hugo Patt.
The Senate will welcome six new Senators. New PUP Senators Hon. Hector Guerra, Rozel Arana, and Britney Galvez – one of the youngest Senators ever appointed, will be joining the Leader of Government business, Senator Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Senator Hon. Chris Coye, and Senator Hon. Linsford Castillo. The Opposition UDP has also named two new faces to join Senator Hon. Sheena S. Pitts; they are former Collet area representative – now Senator Hon. Patrick Faber, and Senator Hon. Gabriel Zetina, a realtor by profession.
Senate newcomer, Hon. Pastor Louis Wade, representing the Churches, will join the Senator for conservation NGOs, Hon. Janelle Chanona, Senator Hon. Kevin Herera, representing the business sector, and Senator Hon. Glenfield Dennison, representing the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. The President of the Senate, Hon. Carolyn Trench Sandiford will convene the 15th session of the Senate at 8:30 a.m., and the upper house will attend the inaugural sitting of the House of Representatives at 9 o’clock.