As the 2026 municipal election race in Belmopan enters its early heated phase, incumbent Mayor Pablo Cawich has launched a direct public critique of his United Democratic Party (UDP) challenger, Richie Galvez, outright rejecting claims that Galvez represents a competitive threat to his re-election bid.
In an on-record interview ahead of the October vote, Cawich made clear that his focus remains fixed on delivering ongoing infrastructure and development projects for Belmopan, rather than monitoring his opponent’s campaign activities. “I don’t follow Richie’s movements or events, so I don’t know what he is attracting. I know what we are doing and we are ensuring that we are working for positivity and development of the city,” Cawich stated.
When asked to respond to claims from political observers that Galvez is the most competitive candidate the UDP has fielded in Belmopan in recent years, Cawich pushed back firmly, tying Galvez to the perceived failures of the previous UDP city administration. Cawich argued that Galvez’s past tenure as a Belmopan city councilor undermines his campaign promise of a “New Era” for the capital city, pointing to what he calls damaging policy decisions from the prior UDP council.
Cawich specifically called out Galvez’s role in what he described as the mismanagement of public municipal assets during the previous UDP leadership, noting that the administration sold off large tracts of public land alongside public streets and green park spaces, leaving the municipality in what he called a “very terrible state” when his administration took office. “So, in terms of viability, I don’t see him as a viable candidate,” Cawich added.
Cawich, who is running for a second term as mayor, emphasized that he remains focused on his own team’s agenda and the outstanding projects his administration has planned for Belmopan, rather than expending energy on campaign attacks against his challenger. This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television news broadcast originally published on October 1, 2026.