| Belize |
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General elections were held in Belize on 27 August 1998.[1] The result was a victory for the People's United Party, which won 26 of the 29 seats and Said Musa was elected as Prime Minister for the first time. Voter turnout was 90.1%, the highest since independence.[1]
The ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) was widely perceived as incompetent, incapable of governing and riddled with corruption. Crime and unemployment rose while a number of government projects were universally panned. After winning nationwide municipal elections in 1994, they had lost two other municipal votes in 1996 and 1997. The PUP capitalized on the people's anger to present a manifesto of far-reaching proposals which they claimed would "Set Belize Free".
Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel advised Governor General Sir Colville Young to dissolve the House of Representatives on 13 July 1998. The House stood dissolved with effect from 15 July 1998.
Five political parties nominated 79 candidates for the elections on 11 August 1998, with three independents contesting.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People's United Party | 50,330 | 59.67 | 26 | +13 |
| United Democratic Party | 33,237 | 39.41 | 3 | -12 |
| People's Democratic Party | 225 | 0.27 | 0 | New |
| National Alliance for Belizean Rights | 174 | 0.21 | 0 | -1 |
| National Reality Truth Creation Party | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 372 | 0.44 | 0 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 531 | - | - | - |
| Total | 84,876 | 100 | 29 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen | ||||
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