Last night, we gave you a fly-over view of how the 2020 General Elections played out in 26 of the 31 electoral divisions countrywide. Tonight, we have the finalized results for the remaining 5 divisions.
In Cayo North, PUP's Michel Chebat won his first general elections, and defeated the incumbent, UDP's Dr. Omar Figueroa, by 952 votes. Back in 2015, when the 2 first became political opponents for the division, Dr. Figueroa won that contest by 159 votes.
In Cayo Central, PUP's Alex Balona, who's a political first-timer in the division, managed to pull off a surprising win against the incumbent, UDP's Rene Montero, by 735 votes. Before losing to Balona on Wednesday, Montero had 3 consecutive general elections win in the division.
In Cayo West, another major upset played out in which the PUP first-timer, Jorge "Milin" Espat denied UDP's Erwin "Winchi" Contreras his 5th term as Area Rep. by 225 votes. Up until yesterday, Contreras was considered one of the UDP's strongest candidate, and he even managed to survive a PUP sweep in 1998.
In Toledo East, PUP's Mike Espat won his 5th term as Area Rep. over UDP's Dennis Garbutt by 1,114 votes. His dominance over the division continues uninterrupted for 3 consecutive general elections now.
And in, Stann Creek West, the biggest constituency in the country, PUP's Rodwell Ferguson won his 4th general election over UDP's Ivan Williams by 2,391. In 2015, he barely held on to his seat against UDP's Walter Garbutt with a difference of only 8 votes. So, what changed in the last 5 years that resulted in this landslide victory? That's what our Daniel Ortiz tried to find out after the non-stop, 19-hour, election coverage from the Belizean press. Here's his story:
The very bitter pill that the executive members of the United Democratic Party have to swallow is how unpopular they currently are with the Belizean voters.
No form for persuasion convinced the electorate to support some of the predicted favorites in divisions like Belize Rural North, Belize Rural South, Cayo West, and Cayo Central.
But in Stann Creek West, PUP's Rodwell managed to hold on to his seat, winning his third consecutive term as Area Rep. and the 4th win in his career.
So, we wondered what is in his playbook for political success in the biggest electoral constituency in the country.
Ferguson says that his hands-on style of seeking out the voters keeps him relevant with them and that his early, Pre-COVID tour was key to this election.
Hon. Rodwell Ferguson - 4-time Winner, Stann Creek West
"Because I'm a hands-on politician - I call myself a grassroots politician, and so I keep engaging with the people and experience with them that despite the size, I have a responsibility to serve them."
"I started my campaign way back in January. I never realized that there was going to be a pandemic. So, when it came, it benefitted me because of what I did, I walked 26 villages two times since this year began. It was hectic, but I knew it was going to be productive."
"We had a very good organization going into this election. It was was second to none. We were well oiled, and our machinery was working extremely well. And so, I want to thank my entire executive. It is big. It is divided into 2. We have the north zone and the south zone. The south zone is run by my chairman, Emilio Zabaneh, and the north zone is run by Mr. Conrad Lewis, who is the former clerk of the National Assembly."
Ferguson most likely has no choice but to have a big executive team. He has to share the workload of campaigning and looking after his voters' needs.
After all, an electoral expert, appointed by the Supreme Court in the Belize Peace Movement's Redistricting case, has concluded that there is a severe democratic imbalance in the size of the electoral divisions.
That expert says, quote, "The vote of an elector in Fort George count's five times as much in the House of Representatives as the vote of an elector in Stann Creek West." End quote.
That also means that he has to work 5 times as hard as his colleague, Henry Charles Usher, to win an election and look after his voters.
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Legal Advisor, PUP
"What we need to do, regardless of who wins, is to move swiftly after the elections to do the necessary re-divisioning. That is what is required."
Until that happens, he is responsible for almost 10,000 voters, but there is agricultural potential in his constituency, which could be turned into wealth to improve their lives.
Hon. Rodwell Ferguson
"The south has always been the agricultural background or base of the country. There has been a decline over the last 10 years. I will have to bring back agriculture because of tourism being down, agriculture will now have to be the number 1 backbone for this economy. But, the only way we can jumpstart this economy is to provide small plots of land for Belizean who want to farm, and maybe cash crops, so you get a fast return. So, we will go out and identify the crops that we find a market for. We'll come back and tell the farmer what to plant. So, when they plant, they can reap, sell, make money, and take it back to their families."
"We have a leader that comes from out-district. So, he will see my pain. He will hear my cry, and I believe the resources will come to the south."
"I'm not afraid of any responsibility. Managing this big constituency for 12 years has been rough on me but I survive it. And thank God today, we are now the government. I'll be able to give back to my people."
Ferguson is overdue to be relieved of a portion of his constituency. But, even though he will have eventually have fewer bosses to answer to as Area Rep, he says that he will miss reporting to them.
Hon. Rodwell Ferguson
"I welcome now - after we become the government - the redistricting but it will pain my heart when I have to leave a portion of my constituency to somebody else. Because we developed this relationship since 2003, and it was a love affair, and I love them all. So, I will have to cope with it because [it's] 9,864 votes, 26 villages. From the north point to the south point is 70 miles. So, it's definitely a serious, serious burden on me. But, I make sure I cope with it."
Later on in the news, we will have that extended remix of the election day highlights which we promised you from last night.
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