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Village Council Elections are held every four years in Belize. This year, the first round of the Village council elections for the Corozal District will begin on Sunday May 12th for Calcutta, Ranchito, San Joaquin, Carolina, San Pedro, Cristo Rey and Yo Chen. On Sunday May 19th, San Roman, Santa Clara, Louiseville, Consejo and Chan Chen. On Sunday May 26th, Sarteneja, Concepcion, San Victor, San Andres and San Antonio. On Sunday June 2nd Chunox, Progresso, San Narciso, Buena Vista, Copper Bank and Xaibe. On Sunday June 9th Libertad, Caledonia, Paraiso and Patchakan.

Corozal has a total of 28 villages. The electoral division for the entire district is 24,086 registered voters. 12,504 of these voters are males and 12,434 are females. Females account close to 50% of Corozal's electoral votes.

In canvassing some of the rural villages in Corozal the most important issues that stand out are jobs, land distribution, water and electricity access, education and more autonomy to the village councils.

Historically, the outcome of the village council elections usually determines the outcome of the next general elections. However, with the general elections as far as 2016, in Belizean politics and society, so many issues can affect the outcome of these two elections. There are so many pressing and burning issues today. How has the opposition fought and defended the issues will be something for the current electorate to consider and secondly how Government has fulfilled on its own manifesto promises to the large Belizean Society will be up for consideration.

The usual foot campaign on the ground is not quite noticeable. With the advent of social media networks springing over the internet, pockets of people and groups have been very open and interactive in exposing critical issues affecting Belize. Influences are very strong from the Belizean Diaspora who is immediately exposed to the current issues in Belize via social media networks. The landscape of politicking has certainly changed with these advanced IT Technologies and social media networks. These sources will certainly have a big influence on the outcome of these elections and future elections to come.

Though politics at this time becomes partisan and sometimes vicious and dirty, we beg indulgence that we bring the best out of each other. People are tired of the usual political circus. Our people must be inspired and respected. Let the circus be over for once. We need to come together as a people after the elections are over and get down to the business of moving our country forward.

SO over the next few weeks, our society will be engaged in determining if "Nothing Changes then Nothing Changes"! Power to the People.

Below is our Electoral Map and Legend:





Corozal Daily (�Sometimes)

PUP Speaks On Village Council Results

As we have been reporting, Village Council elections started this past weekend in a number of villages across the country - 44 to be exact. The People's United Party has issued a press release following the elections. In it, the PUP states that in ten of 28 of the communities, all their seven candidates were successful. However, it split the candidates in eight other communities, but says that a majority of the winning candidates from five of these communities are either supported by the PUP or have Chairpersons endorsed by the PUP. The party states that it embraces a working partnership with these Councils as it seeks to bring true development to the communities.

LOVEFM

UDP sweeps Village council elections

The United Democratic Party swept the complete slate in 26 of the 44 village councils which held elections on Sunday, May 12, and won a majority in five more for a total of 31 villages which now have newly elected UDP village councils.

The party won 202 of the 302 seats contested, and won the village chairperson in 28 of the villages

Five villages in Corozal went completely UDP; Calcutta, Carolina, San Pedro, Cristo Rey and Yo Chen, while Ranchito and San Joaquin elected a slate of candidates put forward by the Opposition People's United Party.

All four villages in the Orange Walk district which held elections: Trial Farm, San Lazaro, Trinidad and Chan Pine Ridge, went completely UDP.

The UDP also made a clean sweep in the Belize district with all eight villages: Maskall, Bomba, Boson, Corozalito, Lucky Strike, Rockstone Pond, Santana and St. Ann's voting in a complete UDP slate to the village council.

In Cayo, it was four out of five: Esperanza, Unitedville, Blackman Eddy and Cristo Rey voted UDP, and only Valley of Peace went PUP.

Of the seven villages in the Stann Creek district which held elections, only Red Bank went completely UDP while the party also won a majority in Independence, Maya Mopan, and San Roman. San Juan (Cow Pen), Georgetown and Santa Rosa held out for the PUP.

The UDP dominance was not so clear-cut in Toledo where the UDP swept only four of the 13 village elections: Big Falls, Elridgeville, Forest Hoe and Santa Ana. The party also won a majority on the councils of Aguacate and Mabil Ha. Seven villages: Boom Creek, Cattle Landing, Mafredi, San Benito Poite, Santa Teresa and Jordan went PUP.

The UDP secretariat trumped the almost landslide victory in a press release on Tuesday, May 14 which interpreted to mean: "this week's massive victory at the polls is a clear testimony of the high level of confidence that Belizeans all over the nation have in the United Democratic party Government, under the unwavering and resolute leadership of Hon. Dean Barrow."

The Reporter

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UDP sweeps First Round of Village Councils - 31 of 44 villages won by UDP

Deputy Leader, Hon. Gaspar Vega, celebrates victories

The United Democratic Party has done exceptionally well in the first round of village council elections held on Sunday, May 12th. In those elections, the party secured an overwhelming majority of village councils. 44 villages in total held elections and the UDP secured victories in 31 of these villages. In the Belize Rural North Constitutency, Hon. Edmund Castro delivered all 8 villages on the Old Northern Highway including Maskall, Bomba,Boston, Corozalito Lucky Strike, Rockstone Pond, Santana and St. Ann's. In Orange Walk, Deputy Party Leader, Hon. Gaspar Vega delivered Trial Farm Village while Orange Walk South caretaker, Juan de Dios Moguel secured victories in San Lazaro and Trinidad. Orange Walk East caretaker, Landy Burns delivered Chan Pine Ridge for the UDP from a formerly PUP held council.

In the Corozal District, Hon. Hugo Patt secured victories in Yo Chen, Cristo Rey and San Pedro. Meanwhile, caretaker Raul Rosado brought in Carolina and 4 councilors in Calcutta getting a majority hold in that village. There were unsuccessful bids in Ranchito and San Joaquin.

Out west, it was pretty much the same scenario with Hon. Rene Montero taking Esperanza village and Cristo Rey. Caretaker Miley Garcia secured Blackman Eddy Village and with great work from UDP Chairman Mike Juan, for a third consecutive time, he maintained his position in Unitedville Village. The bid was unsuccessful in Valley of Peace.

In the Stann Creek District, the UDP secured a full-slate victory in Red Bank. In San Roman the party garnered 4 councilors and the Chairman seats while in Maya Mopan and Independence it secured a majority of 4 councilor seats. In the Toledo District the UDP secured full-slate victories in Big Falls, Elridgeville, Forest Home, Santa Ana. In Aguacate, the UDP got 3 councilors and the Chairman. In Mabil-Ha the UDP got 4 councilors and the Chairman. Santa Teresa and Jordan saw the UDP getting 2 councilor candidates each. The UDP was unsuccessful in San Benito Poite, Mafredi, Blue Creek, Cattle Landing and Boom Creek.

All told, it was an overwhelming national victory for the UDP and a countrywide endorsement by villagers who continue to support the work of the United Democratic Party.

The next round of village council elections will take place on Sunday, May 19th in 43 villages countrywide. The Party urges all supporters to come out and vote for the UDP village council slates so that progress continues in their respective villages under the leadership of Hon. Dean Barrow.

The Guardian

Full results in the Cayo Star, page 17 in THIS ISSUE.

Third Round Of 2013 Village Council Elections Gets Heated

Round 3 of the 2013 Village Council Elections was held this past Sunday as 34 village's country wide exercised their constitutional rights to vote. Here in the north, nine villages held elections: five in the Corozal District and four in the Orange Walk District. Reporter Victor Castillo has the story.

Victor Castillo- Reporting

This week nine rural communities in the north held village council elections. Our first stop was in the village of San Antonio in the Corozal District where independent candidate Clifton Gibson decided to enter the race for the post of chairman at the last minute.

Clifton Gibson- Independent Candidate.

"Well I'll be truthful, I did no campaign this circumstances that I just put myself to be the chairman this morning because every day sometimes I wake up and people have been asking me to go and run up to be the chairman and then I told them I wasn't going to do it until this morning I just jumped out of my house and the first thing is that the people greeted me again, you going to run up to be the chairman so I had two person to be in the chairman's position right now and if I make it I make just as good as my position right now."

While Gibson was confident of his win, so was the candidate of the United Democratic Party Luisa Jacobs.

Luisa Jacobs - UDP Candidate for Chairlady San Antonio Village

"Ok, to start on Tuesday we will build a ramp for the children to go to school because we have a lot of traffic that goes through San Antonio and we will do it right in front of the football field to cross over to school to make it easier and we will have the street men that will come and do some maintenance on the feeder roads and then also we are working with the community centre, the football field we want get it fenced and the lighting and we have a whole manifesto that we try complete in our manifesto."

In the Village of San Andres it was evident that elections were underway as supporters of both major political parties came out in numbers to elect the new team that would represent them for the next three years.  Here there was no independent candidate but with approximately 700 registered voters and with the village considered a PUP domain, candidates of the UDP had their work cut out for them.

Glendford Melvin - PUP candidate

"Well, as the past chairman I have done a lot of good things in San Andres for the past three years and the people will decide and they have seen what I have done with the help of government, a lot of big things with people outside of this country and with companies and business places and with the help of the villagers and I have confident myself and the people know my record and at the end of the day they will decide if I should get another chance."

Doroteo Dominquez - UDP Candidate

"We are working towards this election as well because I know that I will win but the things is that if I lose I can say that we will continue working and our committee is compose of mostly young people and we are committed to working for our community."

In Corozal elections were also held in the villages of Concepcion and San Victor which at the end of counting was won by the United Democratic Party.

In Orange Walk elections were held in the villages of Douglas, Fire Burn, Santa Cruz and San Felipe where the battle ground was located and tensions ran high more than once. Here the UDP flexed their muscles with the presence of Orange Walk North Area Representative Gaspar Vega, his brother German Vega, Honourable Boots Martinez and even the Prime Minister of Belize who is yet to address the nation on the deaths of 12 babies at the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital.

As you will be able to observe the situation got out of control during several instances and even the police had to get involved.

The gates were closed at 5:00pm and by 6:00pm the counting began. At the end the United Democratic Party retained the Village of San Felipe. This time though the winning margin was not as huge as other years.

The results for the election here in the north are as follows. In the Corozal District the Villages of Concepcion, San Victor and San Antonio elected a UDP Village Council while the villages of San Andres and Sarteneja elected a PUP village Council. In Orange Walk Town the villages of San Felipe, Douglas and Santa Cruz elected a UDP Village Council and Fire Burn elected a PUP council. Round four of the 2013 Village Council Elections continues this weekend in the villages of Chunox, Progresso, San Narciso, Buena Vista, Copper Bank and Xaibe in the Corozal District while in Orange Walk the villages of San Antonio, Nuevo San Juan, Guinea Grass and Santa Martha will hold elections.

CTV3