A picture captured in the Orange Walk East constituency says it all as two little girls wore shirts saying “VOTE YES for ME.” The Belizean public followed that request when they resoundingly voted that the Guatemalan Claim be taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The day crept along as voters crowded the polling stations at times and then trickled in at others in every constituency across the country to decide whether or not the Guatemalan claim should be taken to the International Court of Justice. At the end of polling, Belizeans, 65% of them, voted and the majority of them decided that the matter should be taken to the court.
Voters in the country, for the first time in its history, had the opportunity to vote on a stand-alone referendum. It was a historic event that perhaps will never repeat itself.
Some facts that need to be looked at include the turnout by the Queen Square Division, which was able to muster 84% of the registered voters. Coming in a close second was the Albert Division where 80% of the people came out.
It is also very interesting to note that the Fort George Division had a resounding yes vote as the current PUP area representative, Rt. Hon. Said Musa, was on the ground campaigning for that. It is also of note that his son and Secretary General of the PUP, Henry Charles Usher, was also on the ground rallying to have a No vote. Even so, Musa was able to obliterate his son’s work.
On a per-constituency breakdown it worked out as follows:
Corozal Bay: YES – 1222, NO – 1321 – Margin of 99 for the No;
Orange Walk Central: YES – 1680, NO – 1892 Margin of 212 for the No;
Orange Walk South: YES– – 2030 NO – 1849 – Margin of 181 for the Yes
Orange Walk East: YES – 2,227, NO – 1,797 – Margin of 430 for the Yes;
Freetown: YES – 1432, NO – 841 – Margin of 591 for the Yes;
Pickstock: YES – 1070, NO 798 – Margin of 272 for the Yes;
Caribbean Shores: YES 1337, NO 752 – Margin of 585 for the Yes;
Queen’s Square: YES– 1467, NO 344 – Margin of 1,123 for the Yes;
Lake Independence YES– 1079, NO – 1374 – Margin of 295 for the No;
Fort George: YES – 637, NO – 354 – Margin of 283 for the Yes;
Port Loyola: YES – 1689, NO 914 – Margin of 775 for the Yes;
Albert: YES – 1215, NO 464 – Margin of 751 for Yes;
Collet: YES – 1681, NO– 711 – Margin of 970 for Yes,
Mesopotamia: YES – 1200, NO – 285 – 915 Margin for the Yes,
Belize Rural North: YES– 1,679, NO – 697 – Margin of 982 for the Yes,
Belize Rural Central: YES – 2478, NO – 1234 – Margin of 1244 for the Yes ,
Belize Rural South: YES– 2373, NO – 1857 – Margin 516 for the Yes,
Belmopan: YES – 2692 NO– 2035 – Margin 657 for the Yes,
Cayo North: YES – 1904, NO – 2173 Margin 269 for the No,
Cayo South: YES – 1912, NO – 1667 – Margin of 245 for the Yes,
Dangriga: YES – 1649, NO – 973 – Margin of 676 for the YES,
Stann Creek West: YES – 2527, NO – 2145 – Margin of 382 for the Yes,
Toledo East: YES – 1623, NO – 1779 – Margin of 156 for the No,
As we go to press we do not have the final figures for the following divisions.
Corozal South East carried a No vote by 51 votes;
Cayo North East carried a Yes vote by a margin of 154 votes;
Corozal North- carried a YES Vote;
Orange Walk North carried a No vote;
Cayo Central carried a Yes vote;
Cayo West carried a No vote;
Toledo West carried a No vote by 370;
Corozal South West carried a Yes by 154 votes.
