Ahead of the March 2027 nationwide municipal elections in Belize, the ruling People’s United Party (PUP) has locked in its full slate of candidates for Belize City following a competitive delegate convention held on Sunday, August 31, 2026. Out of 21 aspiring candidates vying for spots on the party’s ticket, 11 candidates secured councillor nominations alongside a new mayoral nominee, emerging from a day-long voting process that drew hundreds of registered party delegates.
Voting operations ran smoothly from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the convention, supervised by presiding officer John Bernard Wade, with additional oversight from three representatives of the Order of Distinguished Service: Sylvia Gillett, Maureen Leslie, and Ayonie Briceno. In total, 787 registered PUP delegates or their designated alternates cast valid ballots to select the party’s Belize City leadership ticket.
In a tight mayoral contest, Eluide Donovan Miller claimed the nomination with 427 votes, narrowly defeating challenger Allan Pollard Jr. who garnered 341 votes to place second. For the 19 available councillor positions on the general ticket, 11 candidates secured enough delegate support to earn their spots, with Kristian “Toxico” Alpuche leading all councillor contenders by winning 564 votes. The other successful councillor candidates include Brendan “Beeez” Bouloy (466 votes), Kirkland Henry Smith (465 votes), Kaya Cattouse (446 votes), Sherwin “Shillin” Garcia (442 votes), Edmund “Chiney Bwai” Kwan (437 votes), Dorian Jeremy Usher (431 votes), Stephanne Michelle Hamilton (412 votes), Simon Peter Noralez (395 votes), Darwin “Puppy” Leslie (384 votes), and Malcolm Marley Nunez (383 votes).
In an interview with local outlet News 5 following his win, Miller reflected on the intense campaign period for the convention nomination. “This has been a very hectic and tiring time over the past three to four weeks, but each and every day I reminded myself of my favourite bible verse, that I can do all things. So I had to remind myself of that each and every day and to work harder than the day before,” Miller said. The candidate also addressed lingering speculation, confirming that Prime Minister of Belize never requested he withdraw from the mayoral nomination contest.
With the Belize City candidate selection process complete, PUP leadership has announced its next steps ahead of the 2027 municipal polls. The party will now shift its focus to holding endorsement conventions to finalize candidate slates for four other key jurisdictions: Orange Walk, San Pedro, Dangriga, and the national capital city of Belmopan, as PUP prepares to defend its local government positions across the country.