Politics - Channel 5 Belize

San Pedro Mayor Wally Nunez Challenges Sitting Area Rep. Andre Perez

Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez was recently welcomed back to Cabinet following a lengthy suspension. Perez returned as the Minister of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management. He was sidelined from the government following accusations of sexual misconduct by attorney Wendy Auxillou. Prime Minister John Briceño told reporters on April 16 that “the investigation was that no laws were broken.”

The Prime Minister reinforced his decision to welcome back Perez by saying, “I think the point that you all are missing is that Minister Perez went into his constituency and he worked hard, and for this municipal election, he… For this election, he, along with the mayor, Wally Nunez, they won by the largest margin ever in the history of San Pedro.”

Mayor Nunez’s recent win in San Pedro Town has him seeking higher office. He wants to be the next area representative for Belize Rural South. He wants to replace Perez. Does he stand a chance? How will the leaders of the People’s United Party react to Nunez’s ambitions? Is Andre Perez’s political career in trouble?

Nunez posted on Facebook: “The people of San Pedro and Caye Caulker have been asking for quite some time now if I will represent them in the general elections. Well, this is [a] testament that I will be sending in my application to represent you all! Let democracy prevail!”

Let’s compare both men’s performance in their most recent elections. Municipal elections for Nunez and general elections for Perez.

According to the Elections and Boundaries Department, for the 2020 general elections, Perez obtained 4336, or 62.96%, of the votes. His opponent, Manuel Heredia Jr., received 2419, or 35.12%. The BPF’s candidate, Thomas Henry Greenwood Jr., received 37, or 0.54%, of the votes. 95 ballots were rejected. There were 5,410 registered voters in that division. 4475, or 82.75%, cast their vote.

According to the Elections and Boundaries Department, for the 2024 municipal elections, Nunez received 3651. His UDP opponent, Wilfredo Alamilla, received 1319 votes. There are 8704 registered voters in the municipality. 5397, or 62.01%, cast their votes. Nunez increased his margin of victory by 189 votes compared to the March 3, 2021 municipal elections.

On Facebook, Nunez has received a wave of support. Perez told News Five he would not comment at this time.

Kareem Musa Says He Had Nothing in Vaughan’s Appointment

This week when City Hall announced that Albert Vaughan had been installed as the new City Administrator, a faction of the council denounced the appointment and criticized Mayor Bernard Wagner for single-handedly naming the new administrator without including them in the process. Almost as immediatedly, some started to speculate that Minister of Education and Freetown Area Representative, Francis Fonseca had influenced Vaughan’s appointment because Vaughan is a close supporter of the minister and his Freetown office. Fonseca clarified that he had nothing to do with the appointment, and when the media asked the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa if he had anything to do with the appointment, he too said he didn’t.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“I see that former Councillor Vaughan has gotten the nod, has gotten the seat. He’s a good friend of mine and I support Albert Vaughan fully. But about all this indication of a rift and threat of a potential lawsuit. How do you see that? I don’t know the particulars of it. I only see it on TV when you guys give a story about it. So I, don’t know of the rift. I don’t know the particulars of the rift. I just know that Mr Vaughn was selected and appointed and we are moving forward with him.”

Anthony “Boots’ Martinez Challenges E&B Verification Process

It is not over for former Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony “Boot’s Martinez and his petition to recall current Area Representative Gilroy Usher. On Monday, we told you that his petition attempt was unsuccessful. In a letter to Martinez from the Office of the Governor General, he was informed that the accepted number of signatures did not meet the requisite thirty percent of registered electors in Port Loyola. He submitted one thousand, six hundred and fifty-four signatures. Only one thousand three hundred and eighty-nine were approved. That is ninety-six signatures shy of the number of approved signatures Martinez needed. In total, two hundred and sixty-five signatures were rejected. Today, Martinez called a press conference to announce that he has sought the legal counsel from attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, as he seeks to challenge the Election and Boundaries Department’s verification process of more than one hundred of those signatures.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former Area Rep., Port Loyola

“What we did, after I received the letter from the governor general and especially the portion that relates to one hundred and eighty-eight signatures did not match with the election records that they have. I set out to consult with the attorneys and see what remedy can be done to that. And part of it I was very offended, because in my humble opinion, elections and boundaries and the chief elections officer, Ms. Tamai, in my view made a gross error by not verifying the signatures. Verify means verify and in my view the chief elections officer and the elections and boundaries department have the resources, human and otherwise to verify simple things, when you register or transfer you stand against a wall, take a picture, they ask you where you live, direction where to get there, your house, who is your neighbor, all kind of question. Elections and Boundaries was task with one simple task, go and find out, call, you are registered voter in Port Loyola, did you sign a recall petition. That is verification if you have doubts. Now I am not saying the election records wouldn’t help, but where there is doubt you must verify.”

“Boots” Martinez Tells Chief Elections Officer to “Do Your Job”

According to Martinez, this morning he delivered packages to Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai, the Office of the Governor General, and the Office of the Attorney General. Martinez says that he has acquired an affidavit from one hundred and eighteen individuals whose signatures were rejected. He says that those declarations were placed in the packages, along with the letter from his attorney.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former Area Rep., Port Loyola

“We undertook to start to revisit, I revisited along with the justice of the peace, various of them to present my copy of the petition, attach to the affidavit, affirming, do you recognize this signature? Yes sir, did you sign? Yes sir, and then I would like you to read the declaration and sign that you did sign the petition and that is what happened. So, this morning we delivered a list, apart from the letter from the attorney, a list to the chief elections and boundaries officer, a list of a hundred and eighteen people who have signed the declaration stating they signed the petition. What we have along with the declaration is a copy of people valid ID. All we the say, we might nuh need fih waste the court time, do your job and we don’t need to waste the court time. In life, all of us err and we are not too big to say we err on this one. I saw this morning when I went to Belmopan to the Chief Elections and Boundaries Officer office I saw the sign, enhancing democracy, to me that is disenfranchising people in terms of democracy. I am sorry, I will not let this go.”

B.P.M. Say Redistricting Cannot Be Overlooked

The Belize Peace Movement has not abandoned its mission to ensure that the government carries out a redistricting exercise to address the current mal-apportioned divisions. In 2019, the B.P.M. filed a claim against the Government of Belize regarding a redistricting exercise which they state is overdue. According to the group, the issue of redistricting is an urgent matter that must be addressed before the next general elections. In July 2023, the Election and Boundaries Commission produced a redistricting report for submission to the National Assembly. However, this proposal was later rejected, as they believed that the percentage for deviation was too high. Today, the B.P.M. spoke out again, to reiterate that this issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Attorney for the B.P.M. Claimants, Arthur Saldivar shared more on the matter.

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for BPM Claimants

“You would have remembered that in July of last year, the Election Boundaries Commission made some noise about producing a proposal that was laid before Parliament. But shortly after that proposal was laid before Parliament, a number of parliamentarians came public to say that they know that this document that was laid before that body would not pass muster. It did not meet constitutional standards. So election boundaries took quite a long time to produce a dud. You know, a lame duck proposal and that lame duck proposal is still sitting before parliament. Noone would want to surmise or believe that election boundaries is either negligent or incompetent. We certainly don’t want to think that they don’t care about our democracy. But the fact that they have done what they have done with taxpayers money, no less, leaves a very bitter taste in our mouths. And it should leave a bitter taste in the mouth of every Belizean. Because this is not an exercise that requires a whole lot to do. The expert that was appointed by the court in this matter made it clear that this could be done in a matter of hours. Doesn’t take days, doesn’t take months. If objectivity and impartiality rules the day, the only way it takes as long as it has with this particular body of commissioners is that there has been an orchestrated attempt to gerrymander and maneuver figures for political benefit. We were that we won against this because ultimately, the Constitution does not speak to political parties. It speaks to the rights of the people. And it puts the rights of the people above the requirements of the politician.”

PM Briceño on Andre Perez Investigation: No Laws Were Broken

Prime Minister John Briceño was asked this morning about the investigation into allegations made by attorney Wendy Auxillou against Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez.

In August 2023, News Five broke the story of a sitting minister of government being accused of sexual harassment by a female attorney. Later that month, a release from the government was issued, stating that PM Bricecño “has accepted a request from Hon. Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, for a leave of absence from the Cabinet.”

That release also stated that “during his leave of absence, an investigation will be conducted into the recent allegations against Minister Perez. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs will advise the Prime Minister on whether there has been any actionable wrongdoing.”

Today, when asked if there was an actual investigation, PM John Briceño told reporters, “The investigation was that no laws were broken. You could question the judgement of the person, but no laws were broken that came to light.”

The PM stated that no one provided evidence to the Office of the Attorney General.

Auxillou alleges that no one from the Attorney General’s office approached her for the evidence she says she has. Auxillou has yet to file an official police report against the minister.

Perez denies all allegations. He was reinstated as Minister of The Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management in April 3, 2024.

“Boots'” Recall Petition Fails

A recall petition launched by former UDP Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez has failed. These petitions were intended to trigger a recall referendum aimed at removing sitting Area Representative Gilroy Usher Senior from office.

Port Loyola has 4,950 registered electors. This meant that Martinez would have needed to collect 1,485 signatures, or 30% of the total number of voters in the division.

Martinez submitted 1,654 signatures, or 33.4%, to the Governor General. However, the total number of signatures approved totaled 1,389, or 28.06%.

The total number of rejected signatures totaled 265, or 5.35%. According to the Governor General, 188 signatures did not match the Elections and Boundaries Department’s record of registered voters; 14 petitioners were not registered; 41 petitioners are not registered in the division; 1 petition did not have a signature; and 21 petitions were submitted more than once.

Martinez is also told that it is an offence for a person to forge the signature on a recall petition or to willfully sign the petition more than once.

U.D.P. Tells Venezuela Take Border Dispute to ICJ

The United Democratic Party (U.D.P.) of Belize has issued a statement condemning the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, following the nation’s adoption of a law that seeks to defend a portion of Guyana as its own. The legislation is being referred to as the ‘the Organic Law for the Defense of Guyana Essequiba”, and the U.D.P. says that this irresponsible, dangerous, and unprovoked act by Venezuela has resulted in an escalation of tensions between the countries. The statement notes that this action poses a serious threat to peace, stability and security within Latin America and the Caribbean region. Both nations have been going through an increasingly tense border dispute that may be reaching a tipping out. U.D.P. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte says the U.D.P. is urging Venezuela to take the matter to the International Court of Justice.

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP

“Guyana is a sister nation to ours. She is a CARICOM sitting and we value Guyana. We understand fully what she is going through because well were going through the same thing and now we are before the ICJ and hopefully within the next year or two we can resolve that once and for all. Our simple position is this, whenever we get these types of disputes, strong arm tactics we wouldn’t support under any circumstances to say the least. If there is a border dispute. If there is an issue, all we say to another nation that has been good to Belize, Venezuela, is look take your issue to the ICJ. We live in a civilized world and we want to settle this in a civil matter. So Guyana, Venezuela, if there is a dispute, whether it relates to the Essequibo area or any other area of the country, if you have a dispute then join forces for this to happen, like what Belize and Guatemala did, so go to a referendum, have a vote and take the matter to the ICJ.”

Michale Peyrefitte, A Constant in the U.D.P.

With all the breaking and mending that has been taking place within the United Democratic Party, Chairman Michael Peyrefitte has been a constant party figure. There has been no conversation about him leaving the party, whether by force or willingly. So, does that mean that members are satisfied with Peyrefitte’s performance, despite the U.D.P.’s recent defeat at the municipal polls. Well, we asked him and he said his party is pleased with his performance, at least to his knowledge.

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.

“Listen to me, I was giving someone the statistics the other day. We look at this PUP like some juggernaut. When the UDP won the Belize City Council in 2006, it wasn’t for another twelve years that they won the city council if my math’s is correct. We have been in this situation for three years, going on four years. It is not a very long time; it feels like a long time given what has happened. And we have a current prime minister who was not the leader of the party eighteen months before he became prime minister. Things change. So, politics I am very fluid. What I can tell you about me is that nobody will tell me when it is time to leave. I will make that determination. I was voted in by the national convention to be the chairman. There are a provision within the constitution of the party, that you can call a national convention and you can remove me if you want. People are free to do that and then having not done it, and we show no lack of interest in triggering these things, if that is what people want to do within the party, they would have done that, but if enough people come to me in the party and tell me they want me to go, I’ll go.”

U.D.P. Motion to Expel John Saldivar and Danny Grijalva Withdrawn

A motion voted on by the U.D.P.’s Central Executive to remove John Saldivar and Danny Grijalva as standard bearers for their respective constituencies has been withdrawn. The motion was tabled after Saldivar, Grijalva, and other U.D.P. officials, including Patrick Faber, boycotted the party’s national party council meeting. This did not sit well with certain members of the party. But cooler heads prevailed, and the U.D.P. is once again singing kumbaya—well, for now—as they work to establish a strong presence in the 2025 general election. Party Chairman Michael Peyrefitte told us more.

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.

“Cooler heads prevailed to the chagrin of the media. You don’t like to see the UDP at peace and moving forward. It is an internal matter. We are a democratic party you know. But we are also united in the cause to proper representation of the people. People have their opinions in the UDP. The opinions are strong and from time to time we make those opinions known and our opinions count. This is not like the PUP where a person like Allan Pollard, even though he tops the polls every time he is told he cant run for mayor. That is not the UDP. The UDP is open and democratic. People have their views and sometimes like any other family, it leads to some strong talks and some aggressive situations, but the cooler heads always prevail. That is the story of the UDP since 1973 and so it is not like anything to get excited about. It was an internal matter. It was dealt with internally and we moved forward.”