| Elections And Boundaries Debating Who Gets Red For GE |
| Thu, February 6, 2025 |
| The color red - who will get to carry it on the ballots in the upcoming election? That’s a source of serious contention between the two iterations of the party, one led by Shyne Barrow, the other led by Tracy Panton. And, for the party faithful - for whom the color red is like an article of faith - it does make a difference... |
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The color red - who will get to carry it on the ballots in the upcoming election? That's a source of serious contention between the two iterations of the party, one led by Shyne Barrow, the other led by Tracy Panton. And, for the party faithful - for whom the color red is like an article of faith - it does make a difference.
Well, the Elections and Boundaries Commission considered it yesterday. The Chief Elections Officer confirmed to us that, quote, "absolutely no decision has been made" on which candidates will be allowed to get their names beside color red, but that the Commission, quote "will consult before making a decision."
UDP Commission member Alberto August today posted, quote, "Here are the facts from a Member of the Elections & Boundaries Commission who sat at….yesterday's meeting of the Commission.
The assignment of colors was on the agenda and discussed at length.…
the Commission ultimately and unanimously agreed that, in accordance with…the Laws of Belize, the Commission will undertake consultation with the affected political parties contesting the election before a final decision is taken.
For this to be legally advanced and for a decision to be arrived at, it simply means that the Alliance for Democracy must first declare itself as a political party given that the Commission can legally consult only with "political parties contesting the election".' End quote.
And while that is his interpretation, we must note that August is also a Shyne Barrow loyalist - and that interpretation is based on his position that Tracy Panton was expelled from the UDP - which she rejects. She also claims to have the only valid claim to leadership of the party as decided by a majority of the delegates at a convention in October.
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