Courtney Menzies was at the launch today and has this story.

Four days before nomination day, Tracy Panton has launched her slate for the 2025 general elections. These 15 candidates will be running under the UDP banner but make no mistake - Panton says the party has 31 standard bearers. She explained that while some of them are under Barrow's slate, they are always welcome to switch sides since their spaces are left for them - in every constituency except Mesopotamia.

Tracy Panton, Interim Leader, TP UDP
"We have made no attempts to put other candidates to destabilize our duly elected and duly endorsed candidates in the 31 constituencies of the United Democratic Party with the exception of Mesop."

"We consulted with constituents of the Mesop constituency and we consulted with our UDP supporters in Mesop. It was almost unanimous that it was time for a change and Lee Mark was their preferred candidate."

Panton explained that their goal is to fix the "problem" in their party by giving the Mesopotamia voters another option. As for some of the other constituencies, they don't have the luxury. In 6 divisions voters will be seeing the same names they soundly rejected back in 2020 like John Saldivar in Belmopan and Manuel Heredia in Belize Rural South.

But Panton said she is confident that they can turn the tide back to red this time around.

Tracy Panton, Interim Leader, TP UDP
"I have absolute confidence in all our candidates, bar none, including Manuel Heredia of Belize Rural South and John Saldivar in Belmopan. You know that we were against a blue tsunami and the people thought, they believed in that Plan Belize manifesto that everybody would have won. Todos ganamos. That is not the reality we live today."

"I will tell you that I have been in San Pedro and the people of San Pedro, the pure excitement when Manuel Heredia was declared a candidate by his committee. And you can say what you want about John. He went to a contested convention. He had two other candidates running against him. And he had a former party leader working against him. And John Saldivar won his convention fair and square."

"The signal that was sent to us loudly and clearly and resoundingly in Belmopan. Is this: John is better for Belmopan."

Other returning candidates are Beverly Williams in BRC, Ivan Williams in Stann Creek West, Philip Willoughby in Port Loyola, and Denny Grijalva in Orange Walk Central.

So while this faction is only 15 candidates, they believe they can get at least 16 seats.

Reporter:
"Have you done an assessment of those 31 candidates who are winnable to get the required 16 seats?"

Tracy Panton, Interim Leader, TP UDP
"We have."

Reporter:
"So you believe that you can get the 16?"

Tracy Panton, Interim Leader, TP UDP
"We have a path to 16 seats."

"I doubt very much and I would be very surprised if any of those handpicked persons who were foisted on us as a UDP has any chance in winning any seats for the UDP."

"There is no way that Shyne Jamal Barrow is going to win his seat in Mesop."

And while Barrow hasn't announced his candidates as yet, his proposed 31 plus Panton's 15 will all have red squares next to their names on the ballots. But Panton said that's not a problem.

Tracy Panton, Interim Leader, TP UDP
"If in fact we cannot come together before nomination day and it requires a symbol I am 100% sure that the people who are supporting the team that is being led by me will know exactly who to vote for. I will use myself as an example. I am undisputedly the UDP area rep in Albert. No - and I want to be kind, I would say imposter but let me be kind - it's an imposter, no? - can come into Albert, handpicked and thrown in the mix and expect that the UDP supporters and the people of Albert will accept him as their UDP area representative. It doesn't work that way and everybody that you see at this table are here because the people of their constituency said that they want them to be here, they want them to be their standard bearers and we are sure they will know exactly who to vote for on March 12th, 2025."

And now, voters who are planning to support this faction know exactly who to look out for during the campaign season. Meanwhile the Barrow supporters will just have to keep waiting for now as their slate seems to be a closely guarded secret.

Barrow's chairman told us yesterday that they plan to unveil their slate before nomination day - but they've only got three days left.