Email

Print

According to prison CEO Virgilio Murillo, Christian Neal from San Ignacio is the prisoner still at large. He was convicted for carnal knowledge and robbery.

Guatemala Commends Belize For Referendum

Back now to more from yesterday's historic referendum. The Government of Guatemala welcoming the "Yes" vote.

It says, quote, "The Government of the Republic of Guatemala welcomes the positive result of the referendum carried out in Belize on May 8th, 2019, through which the Belizean people have decided to submit the territorial, insular and maritime dispute to the International Court of Justice for their ruling. The definitive resolution of the dispute will allow for the expansion and deepening of the good relations that exist between Guatemala and Belize, as well as greater fraternity between both people and governments. The Ministry of Foreign Relations of Guatemala will immediately initiate contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize, to agree on the next steps under the Special Agreement between Guatemala and Belize and its protocols." End quote.

Similarly, the US Embassy issued a statement saying, quote, "By referring the matter to the International Court of Justice, the country has chosen to move forward in the peaceful, final resolution of this dispute. That resolution will be good for the people of Belize, the people of Guatemala, the people of Central America, and ultimately the people of our entire hemisphere. It will open the way to increased trade, travel, and better cooperation on everything from fighting drug-trafficking to social development to preserving the environment.

As a founding member of the Group of Friends of Belize and Guatemala, the United States looks forward to continuing our support for both countries as they take the next steps in this process…"

The Head of Delegation for the European Union to Belize also sent congratulations via twitter, and so did Guatemalan vice presidential candidate and former Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales. He posted a tweet praising south countries for choosing a peaceful solution to the dispute, one that he says will allow both sides to live in peace, harmony and development.

City Political Machines Humming On Referendum Day

Earlier in the news we showed you what our teams saw yesterday in the Districts. We also had roaming teams deployed in Belize City, visiting the 10 electoral divisions to get a heat check.

Sahar Vasquez stopped by the polling stations in the Caribbean Shores area, where both sides told her that they were not there to politicize the referendum and put pressure on the voters. They said, that they were simply there to provide assistance:

The Campaign in Collet

On one of our trips around the City, we found Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber doing pretty much the same as our news teams. He was visiting the polling areas for the different divisions in Belize City, and he spoke to Sahar about the slow start to the voting - which we now know ended up as a strong turnout in the Belize District. The Deputy PM said that he is hoping that Belizeans would vote yes:

UDP Flex In Freetown

Our team also went into the Freetown area to observe voter turnout in that division, and again, we came upon UDP operatives - who, generally, were more visible during while the polls were open.

Again, they said they were providing assistance not influence::

Sedi Held Strong In Pickstock

And while we were doing our rounds on the election trail in the Pickstock Division, we caught up with Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington on the move as well. As viewers are well aware, the Foreign Minister was a strong proponent for the yes vote, and yesterday, he said that he personally considered May 8th, as an important day:

Despite the public battering he took for his carious controversial statements, the voter sin Pickstock voted strongly in favor of a "Yes" vote.

PUP Fort George Confusion

And in the Fort George Division where Former Prime Minister Said Musa, and his son, PUP Chairman Henry Charles Usher, were out working - but, it seemed, at cross - purposes: one pushing for a yes vote, the other for a "no."

As is well known, Said Musa broke the party line and was the only elected PUP representative to say "yes" to the ICJ.

Here's what both men told Sahar on the election trail about their work in the Division on referendum day:

Referendum Numbers Lead A Dance

So, that's some of what our teams saw yesterday. And at the end, as we told you earlier, 55.3% of the voters said yes to the ICJ, and 44.7% said no. It was a solid turnout: 65% of the registered voters - or, 96,417 voters cast their ballot. It was a national voting process, the first with the new list, and there's a lot to glean from the numbers.

First off, a majority of voters in 22 constituencies voted yes, while 9 constituencies voted no.

Starting in the south, there was a "no" vote in both Toledo West and East - which border Guatemala. In Toledo West, 54% of the voters saiid no, and 45% said yes, while in the East, 47% said yes and 52% said no.

And from the extreme south to the extreme west, the next area to say "no" was Cayo West - another border division - where 53.6% said no, while 45.2% said yes. In Cayo north, which also borders Guatemala, 53% said no, while 46% said yes.

From there, we go to the north - where the "no" vote had the most success. First in Corozal Bay, 51.6% voted no, while 47.6% voted yes. In Corozal southeast, 52.23% voted no, while 47.21 voted yes.

And then in Orange Walk North, 52.66% voted no, while 46.65% voted yes. In Orange Walk Central, 52.72% voted no, while 46.8% voted yes. So, in the north four of the 8 divisions voted "no".

And then, the ninth and final "no" division is in Belize City - Lake Independence, where - percentage - wise - the "no" had the strongest showing. 55% Voted no and 43% voted yes. That was the only "no" in the Belize District which had the largest turnout and where, overall, where the yes vote had the3 strongest showing. We'll have more numbers tomorrow.