General elections were held in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

on 30 June 1993. Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p104 Although the

People's United Party The People's United Party (PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2020 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean House ...

received the most votes, the United Democratic Party– National Alliance for Belizean Rights alliance won the most seats. Voter turnout was 72.1%.

Background

British forces, kept in Belize by agreement of its government since independence in 1981, were scheduled to leave in 1993 or 1994. There was widespread belief that Belize would fall prey to Guatemalan incursions if the British left. The PUP won the previous election with a two-seat majority. However, by early 1993 its majority had increased to six thanks to newly elected UDP Area Rep. William Usher of

Toledo West Toledo West is an electoral constituency in the Toledo District represented in the House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House ...

crossing the floor In parliamentary systems, politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a different political party than which they were initially elected under (as is the case in Canada and the United Kingdom). ...

to the PUP days after the 1989 election, and a January 1993 by-election win in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

after the UDP's

Derek Aikman Derek Aikman (15 November 1959 - 2 March 2019) was a Belizean politician. He served in the Belize House of Representatives as an area representative for the Freetown constituency in the 1980s and early 1990s. Life A relative political newcomer ...

was forced to resign due to bankruptcy.Ramos, Adele
"Bombshell: Mahmud resigns!"
''

Amandala ''Amandala'' is a Belizean tabloid newspaper. Published twice weekly, it is Belize's largest newspaper. ''Amandala'' was established in 1969 as the print organ of the now-defunct United Black Association for Development (UBAD), but has been polit ...

'', 25 November 2014. (accessed 4 December 2014)"Ruling party gets another seat"
''

Kingston Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 9 September 1989. (accessed 4 December 2014) Success in the subsequent March municipal elections also gave the PUP added confidence. Meanwhile, the UDP had been in apparent disarray since 1991, when a group led by longtime Area Rep.

Philip Goldson Philip Stanley Wilberforce Goldson (25 July 1923 – 3 October 2001) was a Belizean newspaper editor, activist and politician. He served in the House of Representatives of Belize as member for the Albert constituency from 1965 to 1998 and twice a ...

broke with the party to form the National Alliance for Belizean Rights over disagreements on how to handle the longstanding

Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute The Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute is an unresolved territorial dispute between the states of Belize (FKA British Honduras, British Settlement in the Bay of Honduras) and Guatemala, neighbours in Central America. During the late 160 ...

. This all compelled Prime Minister George Price to call elections nearly 18 months early (they were not constitutionally due until at least December 1994). With Price's move the UDP and NABR promptly sought a coalition to achieve victory at the polls. However, Goldson was the NABR's only successful candidate. Although the PUP won a majority of votes nationwide, the UDP/NABR coalition won a slim majority of seats and therefore formed the next government. The election would be Price's last as PUP leader after over 35 years. He was succeeded as party leader in 1996 by

Said Musa Said Wilbert Musa (, born 19 March 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Belize from 28 August 1998 to 8 February 2008. Early life and education Said Wilbert Musa was born in 1944 in San Ignacio in the Cayo D ...

Results

The results were extremely close in several constituencies. In Caribbean Shores and Stann Creek West the UDP–NABR candidates won by 40 and 34 votes. The UDP–NABR candidate in Cayo North won by 18 votes. In Orange Walk North, the UDP–NABR won by five votes. The PUP candidate in Belize Rural North won by four votes, while the UDP–NABR candidate in Toledo East was elected by the same margin. The PUP candidate in Corozal Southwest won by three votes, while in Collet, the UDP–NABR candidate won by a single vote. One NABR candidate,

, was elected.

Results by constituency

References

{{Belizean elections

Legislative election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

General elections in Belize June 1993 events in North America