PUP closes its application window with 115 aspiring candidates

With less than nine months remaining before Belizeans head to the polls for municipal elections, political parties are beginning the process of selecting candidates to contest the March Municipals.  Come 2027, a total of sixty-seven municipal seats will be up for grabs across the country’s nine municipalities, including nine mayoral positions and fifty-eight councillor seats.  While the Opposition United Democratic Party continues to grapple with internal divisions and has reportedly been facing challenges in attracting candidates in several municipalities, the governing People’s United Party appears to be enjoying an abundance of interest from aspiring standard bearers.  The PUP today closed its application window for individuals seeking to contest the 2027 municipal elections.  According to a press release issued by the party’s Secretariat, a total of one hundred and fifteen applications were submitted by the four o’clock deadline. Of that number, fifteen applications were received from persons interested in mayoral positions, while one hundred applications were submitted for councillor posts across all nine municipalities.  The PUP says the applications will now be reviewed by the party’s National Campaign Committee as part of a vetting process. Following that exercise, the National Executive will meet to make final decisions on the applicants and determine the composition of municipal slates.