(Top l-r) Devin Daly, Marconi Leal, Jr. and Thea Garcia; (Bottom l-r) Lee Mark Chang, Miguel Guerra and Godwin Haylock
PUP repeat 26-5 General Election landslide
by William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Mar. 13, 2025
Three new young candidates: Devin Daly, Marconi Leal, Jr. and Thea Garcia-Ramirez led the People’s United Party’s (PUP) landslide win in the 2025 General Elections on Wednesday, March 12; while three new faces – Lee Mark Chang, Miguel Guerra and Godwin Haylock – were among the five United Democratic Party (UDP) members who will be taking their seats in the House of Representatives. The 64.9 percent voter turnout in Belize’s peaceful electoral process rejected two aspiring leaders of the United Democratic Party (UDP), including former Opposition leader Patrick Faber and the incumbent Opposition leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow, with orderly elections held on what had been officially declared a national “public and bank” holiday.
The PUP landslide was prefaced by incumbent PUP Fort George representative Henry Charles Usher, and Pickstock’s PUP area representative Anthony Mahler retaining their seats without an election, as the UDP nominated no candidates in their constituencies.
Dangriga PUP representative Louis Zabaneh, PhD was also virtually guaranteed a win, when the UDP nominated no candidate for Dangriga, and at the polls, Zabaneh won with 2,237 votes to 628 votes cast in favor of independent candidate Cyril Garcia, with 60 spoilt ballots.
Similarly, with no UDP candidate nominated in Toledo East, PUP representative Osmond Martinez, PhD won an overwhelming 90.8 percent of the ballots – 5,043 votes, while Wil Maheia of the Peoples’ National Party received only 384 votes. Independent candidate Orlando Muschamp will not get back his deposit, as he received a paltry 37 votes. There were 84 ballots rejected.
Former PUP Belize City Councilor, Devin Daly stepped up to the national stage to unseat the four-term UDP incumbent Patrick Faber in the Collet division, receiving 1,271 votes, to Faber’s 1,108. Another fresh new young face on the PUP slate was Marconi Leal, Jr., who stepped in to replace PUP incumbent Marconi Leal, Sr., who stepped down for health reasons. Leal Jr. won handily with 2,898 votes to UDP Eustace Shaw’s 298 votes. Andre Reynolds of the People’s National Party got only 56 votes.
The PUP landslide was not quite the Blu tsunami of 31-0 that some political pundits had predicted, as the UDP retained its 5 to 26 minority in the House of Representatives, with three new faces. The absolute stunner was Lee Mark Chang’s upset of incumbent Moses “Shyne” Barrow in the Mesopotamia constituency. Chang received 601 votes to Barrow’s 318 votes, becoming the first Chinese-Belizean to become a member of the House of Representatives. The 92 spoilt ballots could not have helped PUP aspirant Lawrence Ellis shift the division to the BLU, as he received only 504 votes.
Barrow gracefully acknowledged his defeat, saying, “Congratulations to Lee Mark Chang! He’s now the new area representative of Mesopotamia, and I wish him well.” Barrow also announced that he would be stepping down as UDP leader as soon as a UDP national convention can be held to elect a new leader. He did not wish to pretend to be leader, if he was not a member of the House. He did not indicate whether this meant his retirement from Belizean politics completely.
In Queen’s Square, the incumbent UDP Denise “Sister B” Barrow had decided not to seek re-election, and the UDP candidate nominated by Tracy Panton’s faction – Alliance for Democracy, attorney Godwin Haylock won easily with 1,192 votes. The 72 spoilt ballots would not have helped Shyne’s UDP challenger Shane Williams, who won’t get back his deposit with only 66 votes. It’s clearly still a red constituency, as PUP aspirant Lorna McKay, PhD received only 687 votes. Garry Matus of the People’s Democratic Movement got a mere 9 votes.
The other new face in the House of Representatives is the UDP’s Mike Guerra, who won his seat in Cayo West with 2,612 votes, 326 more than the 2,286 votes in favor of PUP incumbent Jorge “Milin” Espat. Esduit Moralez of the Belize Justice Movement received 66 votes, and there were 151 spoilt ballots.
Albert division UDP incumbent Tracy Panton retained her seat by a comfortable margin against 3 challengers, receiving 1,243 votes. PUP aspirant Kaya Cattouse received 1,014 votes, while Shyne’s UDP nominee Jose Espat received a token 20 votes, and Cornelio Galvez of the PDM getting even less, a mere 3 votes.
Corozal North saw the highest voter turnout of 80.2 percent, as 3-term UDP incumbent Hugo Patt won a 4th term with 3,497 votes, to PUP David Castillo’s 2,385 votes, and 44 votes for Condace Espedido of the Belize Justice Movement. There were 63 spoilt ballots.
The PUP strengthened its foothold in Belize City, as there were no surprises in the other constituencies, where the incumbent PUP’s retained their seats by healthy margins. PUP 5-term incumbent in Lake Independence -Cordel Hyde won a 6th term with 96 percent of the votes – 4,806, to Cecil Jenkins’ 92 votes for Tracy’s UDP faction, and Shyne’s UDP Samuel Cutkelvin got a token 19 votes.
In PUP stronghold Freetown, 5-term incumbent Francis Fonseca won his 6th term with 2,164 votes while the UDP’s Abraham Flowers won’t get back his deposit with only 216 votes.
PUP incumbent Kareem Musa received 2,005 votes in Caribbean Shores, where Andrew Bradley of Tracy’s UDP faction got only 320 votes, and Shyne’s UDP Tyrone Louriano – a mere 109 votes.
In Port Loyola, PUP incumbent Gilroy Usher, Sr. won 1,577 votes, to UDP Anthony “Boots” Martinez’s 352 votes. Philip Willoughby of Tracy’s UDP faction got 261 votes, and Shyne’s UDP Nelma Mortis Jones received 151 votes. The PDM’s Wilmore Tablada got 54 votes.
In Belize Rural South, Andre Perez received 3,418 votes to UDP Manuel Heredia, Jr.’s 1,898 votes. Abner Bacab of the Belize Justice Movement won’t get back his deposit with only 159 votes, and Shyne’s UDP Lagha Mahmoud received even fewer votes: 110.
Three-term PUP member of the House – Dolores Balderamos Garcia won a 4th term in Belize Rural Central with 2,895 votes against 4 challengers. Beverly Williams of Tracy’s UDP received 1,367 votes, Shyne’s UDP David Almendarez got 142 votes, and Estevan Perera, Sr. of the People’s Democratic Movement received 49 votes.
All four Orange Walk PUP representatives remained in the House, as Prime Minister John Briceño won his 7th term in Orange Walk Central with 76.3 percent of the ballots – 3,416 votes to Denny Grijalva’s 837 votes for Tracy’s UDP, and Shyne’s UDP Yara Cal Villeda received 83 votes. In his acceptance speech Wednesday night, Briceño promised to proceed with Plan Belize 2.0, developing better education, health care, land distribution, housing, more jobs and infrastructure development. The plan includes protection of citizen’s security, and for wrongdoers to be brought to justice. He has indicated that this might be his last term in office.
PUP incumbent Kevin Bernard won Orange Walk East with 83.9 percent of the ballot – 3,993 votes. Marlo Perera received 466 votes for Tracy’s UDP, while Shyne’s UDP Lance Pelayo got 161 votes. In Orange Walk North, PUP Ramon Cervantes was returned with 64.8 percent of the ballot, 3,829 votes, to 1,970 votes for Shyne’s UDP Carlos Zetina. In Orange Walk South, 3-term PUP incumbent Jose Abelardo Mai won a 4th term, receiving 63.6 percent of the ballot – 3,462 votes to 1,931 votes for Shyne’s UDP German Tillett.
With the exception of Hugo Patt, the north went entirely Blu, as PUP newcomer Thea Garcia Ramirez won Corozal Bay with 3,122 votes, to the incumbent Elvia Vega Samos’ 1,160 votes, as an independent candidate. Hernan Riverol got 394 votes for the UDP. In Corozal South East, PUP incumbent Florencio Marin, Jr. received 67 percent of the ballot – 3,683 votes, to only 1,755 for the UDP’s Antonio Herrera. In Corozal South West, PUP incumbent Ramiro Ramirez received 56.2 percent of the ballot: 2,830 votes to Martin Rivera’s 2,149 votes for the UDP.
PUP incumbent in Belmopan – Oscar Mira won with 4,009 votes to Tracy UDP John Saldivar’s 1,789, while Shyne’s UDP Ralston Frazer got 215 votes. The other 4 PUP seats in Cayo remained Blu, as Alex Balona won Cayo Central with 3,031 votes to UDP Mark O’Brien receiving 2,310 votes. BJM’s Roody Wade got 29 votes and Francisco Escobar of the General Opportunity Development Party got 26 votes.
In Cayo North, PUP Michel Chebat won by 3,518 votes to UDP Antonio Figueroa, who got 2,587 votes. BJMs Leroy Lisbey got 67 votes. In Cayo North East, two-term PUP incumbent Orlando Habet won a 3rd term with 2,813 votes, to UDP Albert Fernandez receiving 1,259 votes. In Cayo South, 3-term PUP incumbent Julius Espat won a 4th term with 4,476 votes, to June Young garnering 510 votes for Tracy’s UDP, while Shyne’s UDP Jose Samayoa got 67 votes.
Similarly, the south remained Blu, as PUP incumbent Rodwell Ferguson bested 4 challengers with 3,907 votes – 72.4 percent of the ballot, as Ivan Williams received only 1,159 votes for Tracy’s UDP. Shyne’s UDP – Macario Augustine got 179 votes, and Belize Justice Movement’s Domingo Valerio got 46 votes.
And in Toledo West, 3-term PUP incumbent Oscar Requeña won his 4th term receiving 70.7 percent of the ballot – 3,809 votes to UDP – Alfonso Sanchez, who received 1,523 votes.