General elections were held in Belize on 21 November 1979.[1] The result was a victory for the ruling People's United Party, which won 13 of the 18 seats. Voter turnout was 90%.[1][2]
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All 18 seats in the House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 89.78% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
editThe PUP went into the election with a 13–5 majority, having picked up a seat after the previous election when Toledo District Area Rep. Vicente Choco crossed the floor from the opposition United Democratic Party in 1975.[3] The election results confirmed that 13-5 majority.
In 1979, Belizeans were concerned about their progress toward independence and the Guatemalan claim to the colony. The UDP were not in favour of advancing on the former issue without a substantial settlement of the latter, and this led the PUP to turn the election into a sort of referendum on that question. By their turnout (a record high) and their support for the PUP, Belizeans made clear their preferences and set in motion the chain of events that would lead to independence in 1981.
Results
editAlthough the popular vote total was close, the PUP won a supermajority of seats due to the first-past-the-post voting system.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's United Party | 23,309 | 52.44 | 13 | +1 | |
| United Democratic Party | 21,045 | 47.35 | 5 | –1 | |
| Toledo Progressive Party | 96 | 0.22 | 0 | New | |
| Total | 44,450 | 100.00 | 18 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 44,450 | 98.84 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 521 | 1.16 | |||
| Total votes | 44,971 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 50,091 | 89.78 | |||
| Source: Nohlen | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p104 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
- ^ General Elections 1979 Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission. (accessed 19 November 2014)
- ^ Ramos, Adele. "Bombshell: Mahmud resigns!", Amandala, 25 November 2014. (accessed 4 December 2014)
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