By Belize Live News Staff: John Saldivar, the Standard Bearer for the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the Belmopan Constituency, on Thursday denied reports that he has resigned from the party and issued a sharp critique of the current party leadership.
In a social media post, Saldivar affirmed his continued allegiance to the UDP and expressed respect for the current Party Leader, Shyne Barrow. He also emphasized that he had campaigned for Barrow’s leadership but noted that the UDP’s constitution grants him the right to petition for a recall of the Party Leader.
“The same Constitution gives me the right to sign a petition to recall the Party Leader at any time,” Saldivar stated. “Michael Peyrefitte and the Central Executive Committee cannot decide for me whether I have constructively resigned nor can they say for me when I have become a part of another party.”
Saldivar also criticized the party’s response to his call for a leadership and recall convention, as well as his efforts to highlight what he described as “many violations” against the Party Constitution. He argued that his actions, which he said are in line with party rules, have unjustly led to him being labeled as a member of a “fringe party.”
“When the Caucus for Change campaigned for Shyne Barrow against Tracy Panton and secured a narrow victory for Shyne, we were not considered a fringe party,” Saldivar wrote. “Now, because we have petitioned for a leadership convention and a recall convention, we have become members of a fringe party and are deemed to have constructively resigned. This is hogwash.”
Saldivar called on his colleagues within the UDP to “stand up for what is right” and warned that the party is at risk of self-destruction if internal conflicts and constitutional violations are not addressed.
