BELIZE-Opposition Leader disappointed at length court effort to unseat him.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Opposition Leader Shyne Barrow says he is “disappointed” that the court matter in which the ruling People’s United Party (PUP) had been challenging his voter registration in the Mesopotamia Division had been allowed to continue ” for so long.

“I was shocked when the Chief Magistrate even allowed this process to get this far. I respect her wisdom in wanting to, I guess, exhaust every avenue so that no one could complain that they didn’t get their due process to object,” Barrow said following the decision by Chief Magistrate Jayani Wegodapola to dismiss the matter last week.

Through its attorney, Leeroy Banner, the PUP argued that Barrow did not and never resided at the place and that the address he gave as his residence was his political office and resource center.

While the Elections and Boundaries Department approved using that location when Barrow applied to be registered as a voter in Mesopotamia, the PUP had argued that he did not live in the constituency.

Barrow’s attorney, Richard Bradley, had indicated that his client could be forced to resign his seat in the House of Representatives if he is found guilty of an electoral offense.

“The consequences could have been devastating because none other than the Constitution of Belize is apparent that a person who has committed an election offense cannot remain or cannot enter the hallowed halls of the House of Representatives.

“What has transpired in this matter is that two former political personalities in the small constituency of Mesopotamia in Belize City had initially raised objections, which they are entitled to do, as the Chief Magistrate read just now.

“The law is that so long as you are a voter in any constituency and another person is seeking to get on the roll or is on a roll, you can object, providing it is done within the time frame of the law. So, there was an initial objection when the transfer list was published. That objection was abandoned,” Bradley said.

Barrow told reporters that even before he entered politics, “I had an interest in Mesopotamia, and when I had my resource center, I had that residence.

“But due to becoming party leader and wanting to consolidate my expenditures, I just repurposed it to serve a duality. So this idea, they lie to the magistrate and tell the magistrate that nobody is ever there, the place is abandoned, the place is locked up, all kinds of foolishness. It was truly a waste of the court’s court’s time,” he added.

Bradley says the law requires that when a person goes to apply to be put on the voter’s list, they must have resided a minimum of two months in that area.

Bradley says that the existing law, which falls within the Representation of the People’s People’s Act, needs to be revised.

“The law is evident, and both counsels in this matter had said to the learned Chief Magistrate, in the course of submissions, that it is clear that there is a need to improve upon the law.

“But the law is the law until it is changed, and that law is pretty straightforward; you can’t get simpler than that. Whichever politician or politicians agreed to Section 5, Subsection 1, all you have to do is say I am residing in the division for two months before you apply to be put on the voter’s list; that is all there is,” he said.