Belmopan, Belize: Officials have said they are ready to conduct the double elections to be held here on March 7, according to a CMC report. The ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) of Prime Minister Dean Barrow is facing a challenge from the main opposition People’s United Party (PUP) in the general and municipal elections. Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai, said that voters participating in the double elections will cast ballots in the general election first before voting in the municipal election.
“For those who will be voting in a double election, the voting will be happening for the general election first. The person will go into room; he or she will proceed to the poll clerk who will verify his or her information. Once that information has been verified by the poll clerk, then the voter will be sent to the presiding officer. The presiding officer will ask the voter to show his or her right index finger to ensure it hasn’t been marked in any way…Once the presiding officer is satisfied, then he or she will ask the voter to dip his or her right index finger to first joint in indelible violet ink. Once that has been done, the voter will be issued a ballot paper by the presiding officer, whereby the presiding officer will then direct the voter to voting booth to mark the X for the candidate who the voter wishes to vote for,” Tamai explained, according to the CMC report.
According to figures released by the Elections and Boundaries Department, 178,054 people are eligible to vote in the general election while 97,979 voters have been registered to vote in the municipal poll.
There are 31 constituencies at stake in the general election with both the UDP and the PUP nominating candidates to contest all seats. In Belize City at the municipal level, voters will choose one Mayor and 10 Councilors while in Belmopan and Towns, voters will choose one Mayor and six Councilors.
The CMC report said that the Government has already indicated that March 7 will be a national holiday and Tamai said that the results of the elections should be known hours after the polling stations are closed.
“We expect that counting should be completed before midnight for both elections. What we are doing this time around…we are allowing more boxes to be counted at the same time to ensure that the results are out a little faster this time around…We will be having international observers so again they will be allowed to visit the polling and counting stations to see how elections are conducted. Within the hundred yards line, the general public is aware that no campaigning can be happening within that boundary,” she added.
In the last general election, the UDP won 25 seats as against six for the PUP. The last double election was held here in 2003.
