The People’s United Party held a press briefing today at Independence Hall to roundly condemn the actions of the Elections and Boundaries Office, which rejected three hundred and thirty-seven signatures in the Elvin Penner recall petition. One hundred and fifty-six of those signatures were rejected because the signatures did not match, or the petitioners were allegedly not registered in the Cayo Northeast Division, or at all. The rest were rejected because they appeared twice, or three times. The P.U.P. is not taking the rejection lightly, and today rained fire and brimstone on the office tasked with verifying and certifying those signatures. Mike Rudon was at Independence Hall this afternoon, when the P.U.P. lashed out with the rod of correction.
Mike Rudon, Reporting
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamia was composed, nonchalant and slightly smug. But today the P.U.P. was anything but. They were angry at the rejection of the recall petition, and angry at what they call the disenfranchising and threatening of voters.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader
“We reject the findings and conclusion of the Chief Elections Officer; we reject the suggestion that there was no political interference in this matter. We reject the intimidation and threats that were reported to us that were introduced into the so-called investigation process carried out by the Elections and Boundaries Department, and we reject in the strongest possible terms the threat issued by the Chief Elections Officer on behalf of the United Democratic Party government to criminally prosecute innocent voters of Cayo Northeast. We view this as a threat to the People’s United Party and I strongly advise the Chief Elections officer to desist from this course of action.”
But it wasn’t all emotion today. The Party came prepared to oppose, with evidence, the assertions of the Elections and Boundaries Department and the rejection of signatures.
Myrtle Palacio
Myrtle Palacio, Secretary-General, P.U.P.
“Of the fifty-two persons reported by the Elections and Boundaries Department as not registered at all, we have verified persons who are not only registered electors, but are registered in Cayo Northeast. We won’t give you all our data, because we may be mounting a legal challenge to this, but Mr. George Manzanero…he is here…he signed that petition…he is registered in Cayo Northeast. Mr. Manzanero was one of the fifty-two listed as not even registered.”
On the voter’s list provided by the Elections and Boundaries Office, George Manzanero’s name IS there…in black and white. Still, he was struck out because of the claim that he was not a registered voter. And there were others.
Myrtle Palacio
“There is even a Police Officer who signed it….a senior Police officer registered in Cayo Northeast. He is also one of the fifty-two. Probably he is going to lose his job now for exercising his right. And he is Alvan Gentle Jr. of Esperanza…at least he’s registered in Esperanza. I won’t go down the list.”
Lisa Shoman
Lisa Shoman, Senior P.U.P. Attorney
“What you heard yesterday was a razzle-dazzle presentation in which there was a rake of fifty-two and a bunch of other numbers that were thrown together, and what you ended up with at the end of the day is a collective rejection of three hundred and thirty-seven petitioners, which boils down to the number you gave a few moments ago, which is one hundred and fifty-six. Of that, I’ve told you that we already know that we will challenge one hundred and forty of them, just like that. So that should tell you who is sloppy now.”
And as to the controversial decision to completely strike out petitioners whose names were submitted more than once? Well, the Elections and Boundaries Office came under fire for that too.
Myrtle Palacio
“Regarding the seventy-nine plus four equal eighty-three multiple signage…these voters were literally huffed by the elections and Boundaries Department, whose power turned to might, pure and simple. Why? There is no standing, legal or otherwise, to omit these voters under the Recall a Representative Act. Even under the Representation of the People Act, persons who register to vote twice are not removed from the electoral list under that Act. When there is a double voter registration, which occurs often for various reasons, as in the case of this petition, one of the names remains under this Act. You don’t arbitrarily…no one has the authority to arbitrarily remove a voter as was done under this process.”
So with preliminary objections to the rejection of one hundred and forty rejections, not including those which were on the list twice of three times, the road ahead for the P.U.P. is clear.
Lisa Shoman
“We advise our party…the legal team of the People’s United Party has looked it over and we advise that the decision to reject the signatures can and should be challenged in the Supreme Court of Belize by Judicial Review on the basis that these decisions were unlawful, unreasonable and in many cases, irrational.”
The P.U.P. also roundly condemned the threat of prosecution of petitioners for perceived offences, stating that Chief Elections officer Josephine Tamai was just plain lying. Mike Rudon for News Five.
View the full article