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But, today, to his credit, he faced the firing line in a press conference at his office. He opened by accepting defeat for his candidate which lost by a caring of three to one:

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"It is not the outcome that we hoped for. what I, I thank the candidate and his team for putting forward a valiant effort. I congratulate Osmond Martinez and his team. they did what they had to do, and the people decided that, it is Mr. Martinez that they want to represent them in the House of Representatives."

Jules Vasquez
"You had predicted victory on many occasions. Did you delude yourself, or were you trying to fool us? What went wrong with your read of the situation or your projection to us of what you felt the situation to be?"

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"As the leader of this great United Democratic Party, I have a responsibility to project confidence. I have a responsibility to fight for every seat. There is not one seat that I can just say, you know, we will lie down. Certainly, there were many factors that led to a pathway to victory. But in politics, what you see on what you get don't always correlate. But, you know, politics is about time. We are in opposition."

"So politics teaches you, it's about timing. It's about resilience. and you have to stay the course, but it also teaches you humility. The people of Toledo East when they go to the polls, they consider what is in the best interests for them and they obviously felt that it's a PUP government."

"And so now with Martinez, that is a change. And so rather than change to the UDP, who is not the government, maybe we'll get somewhere with Martinez."

Reporter
"How do you think this loss affects your credibility as a leader to lead the United Democratic Party to victory in the general elections?"

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"It is really absurd to me that the leader whose name was not on the ballot, you're asking me about me before you ask me about the candidate. So what you're saying..."

Jules Vasquez
"So who's fault is it? Is it your fault or is it your fault or is it the candidate's fault?"

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"We all share the burden. What I'm telling you is that politics is about time. So we are in opposition. John Briceno lost, Francis Fonseca, lost three terms. Three consecutive terms, 2008, 2012 and 2015. It is normal. It is par for course, right?"

Jules Vasquez
"So then UDP will continue to lose?"

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Sir it is a matter of time. UDP will continue to fight. I don't look at it the way you look at it. I am resilient. I am focused. The issues are there, but we have to keep fighting."

"The historical pattern, the historical data is two terms, for the PUP, It was three terms that they had to wait for the pendulum to swing. The pendulum swung in their way and we have to fight every day to swing it back. But this idea, this idea, no matter who you put in this seat, it will still be a matter of time."

"No one else that wanted to be in this seat had the resources to fight. None of them."

Reporter
"What blame, if any, lies at your feet? And what lies, what blame lies at the candidate's feet, and that of his team?"

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"We're not going to separate blame. As I said, I'm not blaming anyone, but I just find it curious that you want to come to the leader. After the general elections, after the general elections, you know, that is when you can see you did not deliver."

"And if I don't deliver, as I've always said, if I don't get to a certain benchmark, no one will have to ask me to leave."

"I am not doing this for a title. I am not doing this, for any position as far as remuneration. I am doing this because I have a vision for what Belize could be."

"I am doing this because the government needs people to fight to hold them accountable. And I know I have the resilience, I have the stamina and the resources to fight the government and I will keep fighting because this is par for course."

"I did everything. I spent every dollar, every dollar. You know, when I reached out to donors, they said, you know, Shyne, general elections, mein, I'll come in big, but by-election. How are you going to ask us for by election money?"

"So I said, okay, no problem. And I took a significant amount of the reserves that I have, and I made it available to the candidate and to the team."

Jules Vasquez
"So you financed the campaign with your personal fortune?"

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Personal fortune."