Acting Chairman of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Alberto August, has responded to a petition calling for a meeting of the National Party Council (NPC). The package of signed documents was submitted to the party under the heading “Petition to Convene a Meeting of the National Party Council.”
In a letter addressed to Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition, August confirmed receipt and offered an explanation for the delayed response.
August attributed the delay to the party’s recent focus on its engagement with the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC) on the National Constitution Reform Project. He noted that the party’s contribution to the PCC was only finalised recently, marking the end of the Commission’s active operations with the submission of its report to the Prime Minister.
In addressing the petition, August explained that the party undertook a verification process of the submitted signatures, comparing them against internal party records. He revealed that the process was hampered by missing supporting information in several instances. Among the discrepancies cited were three individuals from Belize Rural Central, including one identified as “Vice Chair,” who, according to party rules, is not constitutionally a member of the NPC. Additionally, signatures from three persons in Lake Independence did not match official records, and thirteen petitioners listed as members of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) were not on record as such.
Despite these issues, August acknowledged that a meeting of the NPC is long overdue. However, he pointed out that under Article 7 (6) of the party’s Constitution, there is no fixed timeline for convening such meetings. He emphasized that, due to the current internal dynamics of the UDP, the party leadership is exercising “constitutional caution” to ensure that any such meeting is conducted with maximum consensus and unity.