With the People’s United Party (PUP) of Belize locking in a late August date for its crucial municipal nomination convention, mayoral hopeful Allan Pollard Jr. is navigating a compressed campaign timeline amid growing speculation over the future of fellow party member Evan Thompson’s candidacy.
Scheduled to take place just weeks from now, the convention – expected to be formally announced by party leadership later this week – leaves all candidates vying for a spot on the Belize City municipal slate, and the mayoral nomination in particular, with only a narrow window to court delegates and build winning momentum. For Pollard, however, the shortened timeline does not represent the chaotic last-minute rush many political observers have predicted.
In an interview with local media, the longtime PUP aspirant pushed back on framing the compressed schedule as an unfair obstacle. Pollard noted that convention delegates are not unfamiliar faces to longstanding party members like himself: these are lifelong PUP supporters who have been active in constituency work and backed local candidates for years. For him, the campaign simply requires reconnecting with established contacts, sharing his policy vision for Belize City, and reinforcing relationships that have been built over years of party work, not starting from scratch to introduce himself to a new electorate.
When asked about whether he has sufficient financial backing to compete, and addressing circulating rumors that candidates pay up to $200 per delegate to secure support, Pollard rejected the claim outright. He emphasized he does not buy delegate support, and credited his years of on-the-ground party work with giving him an advantage that money cannot replicate. Thanks to the deep relationships he has built with delegates over time, Pollard said his campaign costs are far lower than other candidates might face, and he remains confident he has enough time to lock in the support he needs to win the nomination.
Pollard added that all PUP candidates vying for Belize City municipal positions gathered earlier this week to walk through the official rules and process for the upcoming convention, aligning all contenders on party expectations ahead of the vote.
Beyond the timeline debate, the PUP is facing internal controversy surrounding sitting Belize City Councilor Evan Thompson, a fellow party member who is reportedly at risk of being barred from running in the upcoming municipal election. News Five has confirmed that senior PUP leaders are currently discussing whether to block Thompson’s candidacy, though no official explanation for the internal review has been released to the public. A final decision and public statement from the party is expected alongside the formal convention announcement later this week.
Pollard, who previously endorsed Thompson in the last election cycle, told reporters he first learned of the discussion through media reports, and is not privy to the high-level internal party talks that are evaluating Thompson’s future. He said the full reasoning behind the review will likely be made public in the coming days, and he cannot comment on details he has not been informed of.
When asked whether he supported Thompson running for re-election, Pollard said he has long backed greater participation from younger political candidates, and believes open democratic competition for party nominations is a healthy practice. That said, he acknowledged that the party’s leadership has institutional prerogatives to make decisions it believes serve the best interests of the PUP, and he will respect whatever final call they make.
Repeated attempts by media to get comment from Thompson on Wednesday went unanswered, with the sitting councilor saying he could not provide any statement or clarity on his candidacy status at this time.