By Belize Live News Staff: Elvia Vega Samos the current area representative for Corozal Bay has voiced serious concerns over what she describes as an unfair and biased convention process that led to her recent defeat.
Reflecting on the past few years of her political career, Vega Samos claimed that she faced numerous obstacles that prevented her from competing on a level playing field. “I was never given a level playing field,” she said in a social media statement today.
Vega Samos highlighted several issues during the convention, including:
- Supporter Exclusion: Many of her supporters were allegedly sent home because their names were not on the voting list, despite not being listed as ineligible voters.
- Non-Belizean Voters: Mexican taxi drivers from the Corozal Free Zone were reportedly allowed to vote without holding Belizean nationality.
- Lack of Identification: Voters were permitted to cast their ballots with just a notepad, without any form of identification, including individuals from other constituencies.
- Supporter Removal: A significant number of her supporters were removed from the voter list from the beginning.
- Threats to Supporters: Vega Samos claimed that her supporters were threatened with job loss if they did not vote for her opponent.
Vega Samos expressed her gratitude towards her supporters, emphasizing their honesty throughout the convention. She acknowledged the genuine participation of nearly 1,200 voters and speculated that the numbers would have been higher without the irregularities she mentioned.
“I can safely say that these were genuine voters,” she stated. “The numbers would be much higher if the factors above were not put in place to give my opponent the upper hand.”
Despite her loss, Vega Samos remained hopeful that the truth would eventually come to light. “Time takes care of everything… the truth always comes out to light,” she said.
“Thank you once more, my Corozal Bay supporters. We can continue with our heads held high because we know that we have nothing to be ashamed of… We were honest throughout the convention. Fairness and transparency are crucial to the integrity of any democratic process. God bless,” she concluded.
