BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 26, 2020– Following the election of the People’s United Party into Central Government, there had been much speculation about those who would be awarded executive positions in Hon. John Briceño’s government.

Less than a week after the elections, leaked information which indicated that several individuals were already promised Chief Executive Officer positions, started to reach large sections of the public through various media platforms. Due to the unsavory track records of some those persons being allegedly proposed for CEO posts, Belizeans vehemently began to raise their concerns via social media that the newly elected Prime Minister was reverting to the PUP’s former ways of employing those who had been proven as unfit to hold these CEO positions, and many cautioned that it was bad practices like this that had led to the PUP’s landslide defeat in the 2008 general elections.

By November 18, exactly one week after the elections, Briceño broke his silence on the matter in a virtual national address to state that no CEOs had been appointed as yet.

Many members of the public remained uneasy, because there were reports that some of the allegedly appointed CEO’s were already visiting the various Ministries, and some were even introducing themselves as the new CEOs prior to Briceño’s address.

Finally, after two weeks, the Prime Minister has made public his list of recommendations for CEO posts in his Cabinet, and included on that list are persons whose names had caused such alarm on social media:

Narda Garcia (Office of the Prime Minister)

Dr. Lesbia Guerra (Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining)

Servulo Baeza (Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise)

Marconi Leal, Jr. (Public Utilities and Logistics)

Victor Espat (Infrastructure Development and Housing)

Dian Castillo Maheia (Education, Culture, Science and Technology)

Brigadier General (Ret’d) Dario Tapia (National Defence and Border Security)

Valentino Shal (Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government)

Tanya Santos-Neal (Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs)

Kevin Arthurs (Home Affairs and New Growth Industries)

Jose Urbina (Youth, Sports and E-Governance)

Dr. Deysi Mendez (Health and Wellness)

Nicole Usher Solano (Tourism and Diaspora Relations)

Kennedy Carrillo (The Blue Economy and Civil Aviation)

Osmond Martinez (Public Service, Constitutional and Political Reform)

Amalia Mai (Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade)

So far, things have remained quiet after the publication of the official list, as both the GOB and citizens are taking a more keen interest in the recent spike of COVID-19-related deaths and the spike of violent murders affecting the country within the past week, matters which the Briceño government has already begun to address.