Belize City politics is entering a new, charged phase as sitting councilor Allan Pollard Jr. has formally thrown his hat into the ring for the 2026 mayoral race, transforming years of quiet ambition into an active, public campaign ahead of the People’s United Party (PUP) nominating convention.
After being urged to wait his turn for a mayoral run back in 2023, Pollard opted not to stand down this cycle. On June 17, 2026, he filed his official candidacy paperwork surrounded by a large crowd of grassroots supporters, marking a clear break from his past posture of patient waiting and a full commitment to competing for Belize City’s highest municipal office.
“I am formally submitting my application to become the next mayor of Belize City to support and represent the beautiful people of Belize City and the party,” Pollard told reporters on the day of his filing. When asked about the impressive show of public support that turned out for his announcement, he framed the turnout as organic goodwill from backers. “I asked family and friends to come, but you can’t tell people to come but you can’t tell people you can’t come. So they came out and support and this is all love. Convention day you will see the full extent of that support.”
Pollard’s entry sets up a head-to-head battle for the PUP nomination at the upcoming convention against fellow sitting councilor Eluide Miller, who submitted his own candidacy the previous week. While Miller’s filing was backed by seven sitting fellow councilors, he has not drawn the same size of public grassroots turnout as Pollard saw at his announcement.
The competitive tension of the race has already spilled into public view, with sharp criticism coming from Pollard’s father, veteran political figure Allan “Duck” Pollard Sr. He did not mince words when addressing the bloc of councilors backing Miller, calling the group “a bunch of snakes” and arguing that his son’s straightforward integrity set him apart from the bloc. “My son is too straight for those bunch of snakes. All of them is a snake, because my son put out his head for one of the councilors and the minute he get elected he turned on him,” Pollard Sr. said, adding that Miller’s support comes from political insiders rather than ordinary residents. “Miller, Miller you father-in-law wah endorse you? Dah the people, this dah the people you know, dah the people.”
Many of Pollard Jr.’s supporters in the crowd echoed anti-establishment sentiment, chanting that they reject what they referred to as “a Wagner enterprise” — a reference to incumbent Mayor Wagner, who has publicly backed Miller’s candidacy. When asked directly if he saw a conflict of interest in the familial ties between Wagner and Miller and the mayor’s endorsement, Pollard Jr. struck a more measured tone, emphasizing respect for the democratic process.
“No man if we were suppose to frown on that we should have from the time he ran as a councilor and I don’t see any conflict there. I don’t see any now,” Pollard said. “The people have opposing views but that is their views and right. For me, I respect anybody that wants to run and I respect anybody who the mayor wants to support. The mayor cannot deny my capabilities or myself as a candidate.”
Pollard’s electoral track record gives his candidacy undeniable credibility. In both the 2021 and 2024 municipal elections, he earned more votes than any of his fellow councilors — even outperforming incumbent Mayor Wagner at the polls. That proven popularity with voters has positioned him as a formidable challenger to Miller for the nomination.
Looking ahead to the lead-up to the convention and the general election, Pollard says he plans to spend the next nine months engaging directly with Belize City residents, crafting a policy platform that addresses local needs, and building on his existing grassroots support to win the nomination and, ultimately, the mayoral office. The deadline for all candidates to file their nomination papers is Friday, meaning all contenders for the PUP mayoral nomination will be confirmed by the end of the week.
This report was compiled from original on-the-ground reporting by Paul Lopez for News Five.