As scrutiny tightens around Belmopan’s City Hall, local political attention is already turning to the upcoming 2027 municipal election, with a critical nomination deadline just days away for candidates of the People’s United Party (PUP). By June 19, all PUP hopefuls must submit their candidacy applications, and political observers have been buzzing with two key questions: will incumbent Mayor Pablo Cawich face an internal challenge for his spot, and can the PUP municipal ticket survive the growing controversy surrounding Belmopan’s Area Representative Oscar Mira? For his part, Cawich is dismissing concerns that the ongoing Mira scandal will drag down his campaign, and says he remains confident in a PUP victory at the polls.
In an on-the-record interview with local media, Cawich confirmed that he and his full incumbent slate have already submitted their applications to run for re-election under the PUP banner, laying out their commitment to another term serving Belmopan residents. “My team and I have submitted our application, the full team. We are running again as a team. The deadline you’re referring to is the PUP application deadline, so yes, we are running under the PUP banner again. We do all have intentions to continue serving the people of Belmopan,” Cawich stated.
When asked directly whether sustained public allegations against Area Representative Oscar Mira would spill over and damage his municipal ticket’s electoral prospects, Cawich pushed back on the idea. He framed ongoing political friction as an unfortunate but expected part of electoral politics, noting his long-standing opposition to negative campaigning. During his 2021 campaign, Cawich recalled, he already called for toning down partisan attacks, arguing that elections should be decided on candidates’ track records and policy merits rather than personal or scandal-driven attacks.
While Cawich is unphased by the Mira controversy, he does acknowledge that one of his administration’s key policy pushes could be a harder sell for voters: the stricter, more aggressive tax compliance regime his team has implemented over the last term. “I know that is a problem that all citizens complain about. It is a reality that funds don’t take you as far away as they used to so any extra expense does hurt. But we also have a responsibility as the municipal administration to try and ensure that everyone is compliant so that we can invest the funds into the city,” Cawich explained.
The mayor added that the push for stricter compliance has already delivered measurable results, with far more property owners and businesses meeting their tax obligations than when he took office. This transcript is adapted from an original evening television broadcast, with all remarks preserved accurately for online publication.