2020 United Democratic Party (Belize) leadership election and convention facts for kids
The 2020 United Democratic Party leadership election and convention will choose the next leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP). This election was set in motion on November 18, 2018. That's when Dean Barrow, the Prime Minister of Belize, was asked by his team to stay in his job until November 2, 2020. This date is just after the next general election in Belize, which is on November 1, 2020.
Prime Minister Barrow's team also asked him to stay as the UDP leader until February 2020. He agreed to this and scheduled the UDP leadership election for February 2020. A specific date hasn't been set yet. Barrow told the Media that he would announce the dates for voting closer to the time.
Nominations for candidates will open in January 2020. So far, two people from the UDP plan to run for leader. There will be three rounds of voting. The first vote will be from the current UDP leader and Prime Minister, Dean Barrow. The second vote will come from former members and candidates of the UDP. The third vote will be from the people of Belize. There will also be special votes by Members of Parliament in mid-February 2020. The final decision will be made by all the party members, who will vote by mail. The results will be announced by the end of February 2020.
People first started talking about a new leader back in 2006. This was just before the 2006 Belizean municipal elections. Barrow had said on LOVE FM that he would step down as UDP leader if his party lost those local elections. At that time, the UDP had not beaten the ruling People’s United Party (PUP) in any election. The UDP was also not doing well after some public protests in 2005. Money problems made the future uncertain for the UDP and Dean Barrow. Barrow also said it would be the right thing to do to call for a leadership election if the UDP continued to struggle before the 2006 municipal elections. However, everything changed when the UDP won a huge victory in the 2006 municipal elections. They then took control of the government in the 2008 Belizean general election on February 7, 2008.
The Party's History
After being in power for seven years, the People’s United Party was eager to win the 2006 Belizean municipal elections. They wanted to continue leading the country. The PUP had not lost any election, whether general, municipal, or village council, since they came to power after the 1998 Belizean general election on August 27, 1998.
The UDP, however, faced a shocking defeat in the 1998 general election. Only three of the UDP candidates were elected. Dean Barrow and Michael Finnegan, a Member of Parliament for the Mesopotamia constituency, were the only two Members of Parliament who were re-elected. Erwin Contreras just barely beat the PUP's Amin Hegar in the Cayo West constituency. He became the only new UDP Member of Parliament elected. Several UDP ministers and members lost their seats. One of them was the well-known leader of the UDP at the time, Manuel Esquivel. He had also served as Prime Minister of Belize since 1984 and had led the UDP since 1983.
After the 1998 Election
After the 1998 Belizean general election, Manuel Esquivel stepped down as UDP leader on August 28, 1998. He had been the leader for 15 years. Esquivel also quickly called for a new leadership election for the 1998 United Democratic Party (Belize) leadership election and convention on August 28, 1998. He set the election for August 30, 1998. In his last speech as UDP leader, Esquivel said it was time for the UDP to "renew itself from the top and embark once more on the road to victory."
Nomination day was August 29, 1998. Dean Barrow, who was the First Deputy Leader of the UDP at the time, was the only person who submitted his name to run for leader by the deadline. When the results for the 1998 United Democratic Party Leadership election and convention were announced, Barrow won without anyone running against him. He was then sworn in by Governor-General of Belize, Colville Young, as the new leader of the UDP and the Leader of the Opposition.
