The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has expressed deep gratitude to public officers for their dedication and professionalism in conducting the March 12, 2025, General Elections. In a statement issued on March 14, the NTUCB praised their tireless efforts in ensuring a fair, transparent, and efficient electoral process.
According to the NTUCB, public officers played a crucial role in the elections, from voter education and polling station setup to managing the voting process and safeguarding election integrity. Their commitment reinforced public confidence in the democratic process, ensuring that the elections were conducted with the highest standards of fairness.
The NTUCB also took the opportunity to call on the Government of Belize to restore public officers’ salary increments in full. The union emphasized that recognizing and rewarding these hardworking individuals would further strengthen their ability to serve the country with dedication.
The NTUCB acknowledged their ongoing contributions as essential to upholding democracy in Belize. The statement concluded with a heartfelt thank you to all public officers for their unwavering service to the nation.
As the world observed International School Meals Day on March 14, Belize celebrated the growth of its National Healthy Start School Feeding Programme (NHSFP), which now provides daily nutritious meals to nearly 15,000 students across the country. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology (MoECST), aims to enhance student health, learning, and overall well-being.
The NHSFP operates through a decentralized model, where meals are prepared fresh at individual schools rather than through a centralized catering system. This approach, developed from pilot programs under the Mesoamerica Hunger-Free Program and the Resilient Caribbean Initiative, has now been successfully scaled up to 75 schools nationwide. The program not only improves student nutrition but also strengthens food security and boosts local economies.
Belizean nutritionists, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), have developed national school menu handbooks that offer tailored meal plans for both primary and secondary school students. These guides outline balanced, nutrient-rich meal options using local ingredients and include food safety protocols. Additionally, school cooks receive ongoing training in safe food preparation and meal planning, with further capacity-building planned for 2025 in collaboration with FAO.
The success of the NHSFP is driven by partnerships with key government ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise (MAFSE). International support from organizations like UNICEF, PAHO, and AMEXCID has provided crucial policy and technical guidance since 2015. The programme’s expansion for the 2023-2024 school year was made possible through a $3 BZD per child per day funding contribution from the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) via the 2022 Bilateral Cooperation Programme.
Belize is also piloting a QR code-based student meal attendance app in high schools, aiming to integrate school feeding data into the Belize Education Management Information System (BEMIS). This tech-driven approach will help track trends, improve efficiency, and enhance decision-making for future expansions.
As Belize marks International School Meals Day, the continued growth of the NHSFP underscores the nation’s commitment to ensuring all children have access to nutritious meals, setting the foundation for better education, healthier communities, and a stronger, food-secure future.
The Judicial Education Institute (JEI) of the Senior Courts of Belize is set to host a four-day seminar focused on sentencing guidelines, judgement writing, and evidence for High Court judges and magistrates. The event, which runs from March 18 to 21, 2025, will take place at the Senior Courts of Belize in Belize City.
This initiative, led by Chief Justice Louise Esther Blenman, aims to enhance the judicial system through continued professional development. The training will cover the newly issued Sentencing Guidelines for Belize, providing in-depth discussions on legal reasoning, judicial decision-making, and evidence evaluation.
The seminar will be chaired by Dame Linda Dobbs DBE, a highly respected jurist with vast experience in judicial education. Other distinguished facilitators include President Alice Yorke-Soo Hon of the Turks and Caicos Court of Appeal, Judge Roger Chapple, and Belize High Court Justice Antoinette Moore, all of whom will provide insights and practical guidance for Belizean judges and magistrates.
Belize is gearing up for the 14th Annual Reef Week, a week-long celebration of the Belize Barrier Reef’s importance to the environment, economy, and national identity. Running from today, March 15, to March 22, 2025, the event brings together non-governmental organisations, tourism partners, and businesses under the theme “Building Resilience from Ridge to Reef!”
The lineup includes classroom presentations, community clean-ups, marine photography competitions, social media trivia, and an interactive video game experience focused on conservation. Major highlights of the week include a swimming event from Goff’s Caye, the traditional “Ride to the Reef” cycling event from Belmopan, and a grand educational fair in San Ignacio Town.
Organised by the Reef Week Committee, which includes key conservation and tourism stakeholders, the event offers Belizeans an opportunity to engage in marine conservation efforts.
Tracy Taegar-Panton has just made history as the new Leader of the Opposition! She was officially sworn in today at the Belize House in Belmopan, becoming the first woman to ever hold this position in the House of Representatives. Just this Wednesday, she secured her third term as the Area Representative for the Albert division. Before the general election, there were efforts to have her replace Moses “Shyne” Barrow as the opposition leader, but she couldn’t gather enough support at that time. However, tonight is a different story—Panton now has the majority backing, and Barrow is out of the picture. Key figures like Godwin Haylock, Lee Mark Chang, Miguel Guerra, and Hugo Patt have all rallied behind Panton. Interestingly, Guerra, who ran under Barrow’s U.D.P., was present at her swearing-in today, and Patt has even written to the Governor General to declare his support. News Five was on the scene for the swearing-in ceremony, and we had the chance to chat with Panton about her exciting new role.
Tracy Taegar Panton
Tracy Taegar Panton, Leader of the Opposition
“It is a historic day for me and my family, but for all women and girls in this country who aspire for leadership. I am entirely grateful to all those who have supported me, particularly the people of the Albert constituency. I could not be here without them voting for me and supporting me for the last ten years.”
Reporter
“Did you ever envision this moment when you first joined politics?”
Tracy Taegar Panton
“Not at all. In fact, I never envisioned being in politics in my younger years. Being here is a natural progression in terms of my work in public life. I am humbled and extremely grateful for an opportunity to serve at this level of governance. I hope I will be able to have a positive impact, affect meaningful change in the national assembly that we can elevate the dialogue, elevate the debate, step away form personal attacks and really look at the issue people are facing in the country. I am here to serve and ready to lead.”
Panton says her top priority is to rebuild the United Democratic Party. Although Barrow is no longer a factor in the House of Representatives, he still holds his position as the leader of the U.D.P. Panton mentioned that this is something her legal team will handle. And what about the candidates who ran under her leadership and lost, like John Saldivar and Patrick Faber? We asked her what role they will play in the future of the party.
Tracy Taegar Panton
Tracy Taegar Panton, Leader of the Opposition
“That is yet to be determined. This is day one. We are running on fumes. I am running on fumes. It has been a long and very challenging journey. My faith in God and my children has kept me grounded. For that I am grateful. The U.D.P. has to rebuild, reconcile and heal and we have to do that in short order. We are getting ready now to be the next government in 2030.”
Reporter
“What is the first step you will take to rebuild the party? I know that Mr. Patt has thrown his support behind you and Mr. Guerra is here to show his support.”
Tracy Taegar Panton
“Well we have to meet as a wider U.D.P. family. I have been speaking to my colleague individually but it is time to come together as a U.D.P. family, do a proper postmortem of what has happened, so that we can be guided as to what our next step will be.”
Reporter
“What is the road to regaining control of the HQ looks like. I know Mr. Barrow maintains that he is the party leader.”
Tracy Taegar-Panton
“That is a matter for my legal team to address and they wull be addressing it in the next couple of days.”
Reporter
“But what do you make of the post where he calls himself the party leader still?”
Tracy Taegar-Panton
“I did not see that post. I am still busy trying to deal with today to address this very historic moment for women, girls in this country, for Belizeans form the north to the south, east to west, you have a leader of the opposition that is completely committed to preserving and promoting Belize’s democracy.”
Patrick Faber, one of Tracy Taegar-Panton’s strongest allies, couldn’t secure his sixth consecutive term representing Collet. He lost to political newcomer Devin Daly by nearly two hundred votes. Today, we asked Panton for her thoughts on Faber’s defeat in that division. Here’s what she had to say.
Tracy Taegar Panton
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader of the Opposition
“I think if you were vigilant on the ground on election day as members of the media, you would know that huge insane amounts of monies were spent not only in Collet but in other constituencies. It is a blow to our democracy that we have gotten to the place where money is going to determine the future of this country. Patrick Faber is a colleague of mine, he is a formidable politician. I enjoy his support and he will have a very prominent role to play in the U.D.P. as we move forward.”
“Lee Mark Chang is the reason Moses “Shyne” Barrow is no longer in the House of Representatives. Panton and her team strategically placed Chang in Mesopotamia with the sole aim of unseating Barrow. Chang did just that, and he did it convincingly, defeating Barrow by a two-to-one margin. Today, Panton proudly declared, ‘mission accomplished.’
Paul Lopez
“Let us look at the success in Mesop, would you say, mission accomplished?”
Tracy Taegar Panton
Tracy Taegar Panton, Leader of the Opposition
“Mission accomplished. Our mandate that we received on October twentieth at the U.D.P. convention that was held at the Civic Center was for us to defend our democracy, to do everything we can to heal and restore the trust and confidence of the people in the United Democratic Party in Mesop and Lee Mark’s win is indicative of our commitment to making good on that mandate.”
Reporter
“There were certain constituencies in which the P.U.P. won by large, extraordinary margins, I think Cordel won by like ninety six percent, do you fear it will take multiple terms to decrease those margins?”
Tracey Taegar-Panton
“2030, the United Democratic Party will be the new government.”
The Organization of American States has praised Belize for conducting a peaceful and fair election on Wednesday. The OAS, which promotes cooperation and democracy in the Americas, often oversees elections in the region. This time, it sent a team to observe Belize’s election. Today, the OAS released a statement from Maricarmen Plata, the Chief of Electoral Mission in Belize, explaining the scope of their mission. News Five’s Marion Ali has the details.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Maricarmen Plata, the Chief of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Belize, led her team in a meeting with Governor-General Dame Froyla T’zalam. The team has been in Belize since Monday to observe the general election on Wednesday. Plata praised Belize for conducting a free and fair election.
Maricarmen Plata
Maricarmen Plata, Chief, Electoral Mission in Belize, O.A.S.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations on your enthusiastic participation in the general elections held on Wednesday, March 12. We also commend the electoral authorities for the peaceful and successful conduct of the 2025 general elections.”
The OAS Mission included twelve experts and observers from seven different countries, and they were present in twelve constituencies across Belize. Plata explained what their role involved.
Maricarmen Plata
“We diligently followed the process from the opening of the polling stations through the secure transfer of ballot boxes to the counting stations, the meticulous tabulation of ballots, and the transparent transmission of results. Through our work, we engaged in constructive dialogues with electoral authorities, government officials, political parties and candidates, and civil society actors. This allowed us to gather diverse perspectives on the organization of the elections and the overall electoral framework.”
On Wednesday, a News Five team met up with the observers as they made their rounds in Belize City. Plata mentioned that the team has a lot of experience with the election process.
Maricarmen Plata
“We have technical specialists with vast experience in reviewing electoral justice issues, technology issues. We are also looking into campaign financing issues, different processes. So, it’s a team that’s quite knowledgeable and that’s able to look at the different areas.”
The elections took place before a redistricting exercise, which the OAS had recommended for Belize. Plata mentioned that they are keeping track of those earlier recommendations.
Maricarmen Plata
“We are reviewing the present situation of that, and that will be included also in our report. We’ve of course, uh, been asking and, and following up on our prior recommendations, and that will be included also in the report. We will issue a report at the, be at the end of the process, a preliminary report in the coming days and later on a full report. So definitely something that we’ll be looking into and reporting on.”
Plata’s team met with political leaders and other key authorities to discuss electoral processes. Their role is crucial in making sure everything runs fairly and smoothly.
Maricarmen Plata
“It’s important because it supports the electoral authorities as well as the different parties and the process itself. So we follow up on the different matters that can improve the democratic process in Belize and that can help people actually participate in an environment that is, um, truly attending to the needs of everybody so that everybody participates in the best way possible. We basically met with the parties that are participating in the election, the political leaders and different stakeholders, the authorities as well, so we’ve been looking at different aspects such as technology, electoral processes, different aspects of the election from the beginning.”
The 2025 general elections are over, and the people of Belize have decided to keep the People’s United Party in power for another five years. Among the twenty-six seats won by the PUP is the Belize Rural South constituency, where Andre Perez emerged victorious. News Five’s Britney Gordon has all the details on this exciting race.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The race for the Belize Rural South constituency was intense, with four candidates battling it out to become the area representative. This year’s contenders included former area rep Manuel Heredia Jr. and Mahmoud Lagha, both of the UDP, Abner Bacab from the Belize Justice Movement, and incumbent PUP area rep, Andre Perez. Despite concerns that Heredia’s return might threaten the PUP; Perez emerged as the clear winner.
Anthony Mai
Anthony Mai, Returning Officer, Belize Rural South
“ Mr. Abner Bacab received one hundred and fifty-nine votes. Mr. Manuel Heredia Jr. received one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight votes. Mr. Mahmoud Lagha received one hundred ten votes. And Mr. Andre Parez received three thousand, four hundred and eighteen votes. And so I’d like to officially declare that Mr. Andre Perez has been elected by you all as the area representative for Belize Rural South.”
Candidates across the country noticed a low voter turnout. In Caye Caulker and San Pedro, the turnout was a moderate 56.82%. Perez mentioned that although the turnout was initially low, he was confident that his supporters would show up at the polls later in the day.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South
“It’s always good to be confident, right? But that does not mean we take things for granted especially when it comes to the campaign. What we want to talk about is the work that has been done in the last four years. It speaks for itself. I know that my people have seen it, and that I’ve kept the campaign at all times. This campaign didn’t start two, three weeks, it has been over the past four years.”
Abner Bacab previously ran in the municipal elections and returned for the general elections to provide residents with an alternative to the mass parties.
Abner Bacab
Abner Bacab, B.J.M. Candidate, Belize Rural South
“A lot of people that I see, they don’t want to vote. They say, you know what, I’m tired. I don’t believe. And the UDP or PUP, they are corrupt. They haven’t done anything for our people. They forget you. After the voting, until five years it came, they come to see you, no? So, I try to understand their pain, their cry, their sorrow, their desperation in what they’re saying, you know, and they’re, they’re right because they feel hurt. They haven’t seen any, any progress. So I take my time to explain to them many things that none of the campaigners from both parties are doing.”
Over 32% of votes cast went to the U.D.P.’s Manuel Heredia. At the start of the day, he was confident that he’d be taking home the win.
Manuel Heredia
Manuel Heredia, U.D.P. Candidate, Belize Rural South
“The poor people are suffering, they’re suffering, and those ones that used to open their mouth big when we were in power, like they put a zipper in their mouth, no. Now they can destroy the permit, they can destroy the bonefish, everything, and nobody says anything now. So, thanks God, that the people have seen it. And then by tonight, before 12, I can guarantee you that Mr. Heredia, let’s not put colors, Mr. Heredia will be victorious.”
Between Caye Caulker and San Pedro, six thousand, six hundred and ninety-one ballots were cast with 57.27% in favor of the P.U.P.
Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South
“First of all, I want to thank everyone, the voters of Belize, but I also want tothank all those who have been working in the machinery all day. And not for many months now, right? The entire election machinery. I want to thank my family as well for the support that they give to me, right? But for the moment right now, it’s that I’m humbled. The work has been done in the past four years. There’s much more work to do ahead in the next five years. The plan is set for Plan Belize 2.0. I’m committed. I’m inspired. I am motivated, and I also want to say I’m humbled for the people who believe in South Caye Caulker and San Pedro for giving me that opportunity to serve them a second time and be re elected. I’m truly grateful. Hasta la victoria.”
