P.U.P. Brings Out Thousands to Delegates’ Convention  

The People’s United Party was in full swing on Sunday, bringing in thousands of dedicated supporters from all over the country. The Civic Center buzzed with activity, featuring drumming, live performances, and speeches. The energy was electric, reminiscent of the Blue Tsunami that swept through the Old Capital before the last general election. A strong message of unity resonated throughout the event, and Prime Minister John Briceno received a resounding endorsement for his leadership during his first term. As part of our campaign coverage for Decision 2025: Show out or Blowout, we kick off tonight’s newscast with an in-depth look at Sunday’s convention. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with our first story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The People’s United Party (PUP) was in high spirits on Sunday afternoon, attracting thousands of supporters to the convention in Belize City. A giant blue and white flag waved proudly above the venue, while a sea of blue T-shirts filled the Belize Civic Center. The last time the PUP gathered in such large numbers here was in 2020, just before they won the general election by a landslide.

 

John Briceño, Party Leader, People’s United Party

“I think that we are prepared. We have a very good team, we have a solid plan, Plan Belize 2.0, and we are putting the machinery in place.  Today, you could see, is a manifestation of the support of the party.  Unfortunately, we could not bring everybody that wants to come out, but we wanted to ensure that we can show that the party is united and that the party is energized and the party is ready to be able to serve the people of this country for another five years.”

 

Billed as a delegates’ convention, the party also made room for the many supporters bussed in from across the country, including distant southern communities. Deputy Party Leader Cordel Hyde highlighted the achievements of the PUP government during this term.

 

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Leader, People’s United Party

“We’ve done a lot, we’ve done a lot of education, a lot of lands, a lot of housing, a lot of NHI, a lot of support, a lot of jobs but there’s still more work to be done.  And we’re cognizant of that, the work is never done.  So ultimately, if we get an opportunity to go back to government and we are able to service the people at this level, we give them all we’ve got.  They know that that’s what I do, I give everything that I have every day.”

 

Putting in their all means the party is committed to keeping both its core supporters and the broader Belizean public satisfied with the PUP’s efforts.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, People’s United Party

“I feel good to see all thirty-one constituencies, the delegates of our national convention.  Our national convention, remember, is the highest governing arm of the People’s United Party and this is the body that endorses our team.  This is the body that endorses our national executive, this is the body that sets policies, procedures and programs of our party.  So this is an important event for us and, as you can see, it’s  a massive one today to see all our delegates coming out and supporting our party, getting ready for March twelfth.”

 

The overwhelming show of support has given the candidates a huge boost in confidence. Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat expressed his excitement at seeing such a massive turnout of enthusiastic supporters.

 

Julius Espat, Deputy Leader, People’s United Party

“This is exciting, our people are excited.  It is the spark that we needed.  We don’t have a vibrant opposition, so our were a bit dormant.  So this gives us the spark that we needed, and so, I love it.”

 

As the general election approaches, the PUP holds twenty-six seats. They’re not just aiming to keep those seats but are also striving to strengthen their presence in the House of Representatives.

 

Henry Charles Usher

“Throughout all thirty-one constituencies, I have visited each one, we are seeing a ground-swell of support, even in the ones where we don’t currently have a PUP area rep in and I think that is a signal of the work that the party has done, that the government has done over the past four years and we continue to do.  Rolling out Plan Belize has been a great benefit for the country and we want to continue to do that.  In the twenty-six constituencies that we have area reps and in those five seats, we’ll be fighting very hard to make sure that we deliver a PUP candidate in those five seats as well.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.