Thursday 1 October
Nominations for Candidates closes and official start of Campaigning.
Saturday 3 October
Candidates lists are Published for each Constituency.
Monday 26 October
Deadline to register for Anonymous electors closes by Midnight.
Sunday 1 November
Polling Day - polls open 7 am to 10 pm
Monday 2 November
Results announced for all the 31 Constituencies. End of Purdah.
Friday 13 November
First Meeting of the new National Assembly of Belize, for the formal Election of a Speaker of the House of Representatives (Belize) and the swearing-in of Members, ahead of the State opening of the new National Assembly’s first Session.
Sunday 15 November
State Opening of Parliament.
Background
United Democratic Party
The rulling United Democratic Party, which has been in power since 7 February 2008, will attempt to win a fourth consecutive general election. However, both major parties will be contesting this election with first-time leaders. UDP Leader and Prime Minister, Dean Barrow has stated he will step down from both positions on 2 November 2020, after the new Prime Minister of Belize has been officially sworn-in by Govonor-General, Colville Young. The UDP has initially scheduled a May 2019 convention and election, but after Barrow’s cabinet urged him to stay on as Prime Minister and Leader of the UDP, he pushed back that date in January 2019 to February 2020. Thus the United Democratic Party Leadership Convention and election will take place in February 2020. On 10 August 2019, The UDP’s National Party Council met and set the date of the UDP’s leadership convention and election on 9 February 2019. The venew will be at the Belize Civic Centre, according to the party organ, The Guardian. Deputy Prime Minister of Belize, Patrick Faber and Minister of National Security and Defence, John Saldivar will contest the position of, UDP Leader through other candidates can apply. Minister of Health, Pablo Marin will contest the position of, Deputy Leader of the UDP. Minister of Natural Resources, Hugo Patt is also expected to contest for Deputy Leader as well. Patt and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington was mentioned as possible candidates to contest the position of, UDP Leader. However, both declined the offer back in June 2018. On 5 June 2019, Belize Breaking News (BBN) published an article stating that the UDP has a high chance of capitalising and making history by wining a fourth consecutive term come 2020, given the results of the 2019 Belizean territorial dispute referendum went in the favour of the UDP. The UDP was Long campaigning for an “Yes” vote to bring Guatemala’s claim to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), while the PUP eyed the “No” vote while some of its Politicians still supported “Yes” as they thought that was the right thing to do. Nevertheless, results are results and this could determine who would win the next general election. The UDP, which has already served an unprecedented three consecutive terms has gone the extra mile in securing their mandate. A victory in the next election would be monumental as the party navigates new Leadership with the departure of several senior members. The UDP Cabinet, though marred by waves of Scandal and revelations of systemic Corruption across Government departments throughout its 11-year reign, has withered the political Storms. The UDP looks to continue its decade-Long Dominance (ethology) over Belizean Politics.
People’s United Party
The People’s United Party has yet to prove it can win a general election since its last victory in 2005, 14 years ago; a virtual eon in politics. Despite gains in Belize City in 2015, most notably Kareem Musa’s upset win over Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley in the Caribbean Shores constituency, the opposition PUP remained at 11 seats overall thanks to losses in the Cayo and Corozal Districts. However, after Former Senate President, Lee Mark Chang bested opponent Leila Peyrefitte in the UDP convention held in Carribean Shores constituency, there have been rumours that if the win indicated that Caribbean Shores would go red next year, also given that the “Yes” vote prevailed in Caribbean Shores for the 2019 Referendum. Area Representative, Kareem Musa said that he did not ask a single voter to vote yes or no in the referendum and that he is confident of next victory at polls. The PUP will run with Johnny Briceño as it's Leader. Francis Fonseca, who led the party during the past two general elections, resigned from leadership soon after the party’s 2015 loss. Although Briceño served a previous term as PUP leader from 2008 to 2011, he has yet to led the party during a General election and do what Fonseca could not, steer the party into a victory. On the morning of Briceño swearing-in as Leader of the party.
Jaroslav Erik Frič
Jaroslav Erik Frič (14 August 1949 – 24 May 2019) was a Czech poet, musician and publisher. He also helped organise underground culture festivals.
Since he did not support the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, he wrote samizdat poems. After the Velvet Revolution, he founded publishing houses. He later founded two non-governmental organisations to help minority groups and others. Beginning in 2000, he organised an annual poetry festival in Brno. He was born in Horní Libina.
Frič died of cancer on 24 May 2019 in Brno. He was 69.
Kingdom of Koya
The Kingdom of Kquoja or Koya or Koya Temne, or the Temne Kingdom (1505–1896), was a pre-colonial African state. It was located in the north of Sierra Leone. Its capital was at Cape Mount in what is now Liberia.
The kingdom was founded by the Temne ethnic group in or around 1505. Migrants from the north who wanted to trade with the Portuguese in the south founded the kingom.
It was ruled by a king called a Bai or Obai. The sub-kingdoms within the state were ruled by nobles titled "Gbana". The Koya Kingdom kept and maintained diplomatic relations with the British and French in the 18th century. Children of Temne nobles were allowed to get western educations abroad. Koya also traded with Islamic states to its north and had Muslims within its borders.
Under Nembanga's reign (1775–1793), the Koya kingdom signed a treaty which made it possible for the establishment of a British colony on the peninsula of Sierra Leone in 1788.
Koya participated in the trans-atlantic slave trade, though sources state that such commerce was much more privatized than in other kingdoms. Subjects of Koya traded in slaves on the coast even against the wishes of the state at times.
From 1801 to 1807, Koya fought a war with British colonists and the Susu. Koya lost the northern shoreline of Sierra Leone to the British and Port Loko to the Susu. However, they remained a power in the region. In 1815, the Temne fought another war with the Susu and regained the port. In 1841, the Temne defeated the Loko tribe of Kasona on the Mabaole River dispersing many of the people. In response to a British bombardment, the kingdom expelled the Church Missionary Society missionaries operating at Magbela in 1860.
The kingdom became a British protectorate August 31, 1896. At that point the Koya kings lost almost all power. Revolts of the Temne and Mende in 1898 were fierce but futile. The British would govern the area of the former kingdom until 1961.