Councilor Allan Pollard’s Application to Contest Port Loyola Seat Denied

The People’s United Party’s executive rejected Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard’s application to challenge sitting Port Loyola Area Representative Gilroy Usher in a convention. Pollard is a three-term Belize City councilor whose candidacy in the Queen Square Division failed in the 2020 general election. He had his eyes set on Port Loyola for the 2025 general election, but his party executive is saying, not so fast. Today, we spoke with Francis Fonseca, a senior member of the party who was in that party executive meeting last week Thursday when the decision was made. Here is what he told us about what went down inside that meeting.

 

Francis Fonseca, Cabinet Minister

“I think all of us in the party at every level, I know from the leader down, all of us think very highly of Allan. We view him as a very promising young man but there are processes that must be followed in the party. there are structures in the party for a reason. So, people are allowed to apply but then that goes through a vetting process and the national executive is the final step in that process. So, to be the national campaign committee, the vetting committee that made the decision, that they recommended to the national executive that Gilroy usher be the only candidate for Port Loyola. And the national executive accepted that recommendation. That does not mean the party thinks any less of Allan Pollard. He has been a dynamic young candidate for the P.U.P. at the location election level, the city council level. He has topped the polls so we are very proud of Allan so all of us have supported him every way we can. It was the consensus view, certainly not everyone, but the majority agreed that at this time it was best to allow the current area reop who was just elected for the first time in 2020 to build on the success that he has had in Port Loyola.”

 

Reporter

“Did you support Pollard’s candidacy?”

 

Francis Fonseca

“I accepted and supported the recommendation of the committee and the vetting committee which supported Gilroy Usher not being challenged.”