Nearly 12 months out from Belize’s 2027 municipal elections, the contest for San Pedro’s highest municipal office is already taking clear shape, emerging as one of the country’s most anticipated political contests in the coming election cycle.
Incumbent mayor Wally Nuñez has shown no intention of ceding his position, confirming that he will launch a campaign for a third consecutive term in office. His re-election bid already carries formal backing from Andre Perez, the Area Representative for Belize Rural South, who publicly thrown his support behind the sitting mayor. Perez noted that while the party’s nomination process remains open to all interested candidates, Nuñez’s plan to seek re-election has his full endorsement.
Nuñez will not run unopposed, however. Political veteran Celestino Tzul, who previously ran for a municipal council seat in 2018, has announced a challenge for the top post, leading a new political initiative he has branded the “New Era” movement. Tzul’s campaign centers on a platform of renewed governance, greater inclusion of young residents in local political processes, and targeted policy action to address unmet needs in the community.
In his first public comments since launching his bid, Tzul framed his candidacy as a calling to public service, emphasizing that he is building a slate of candidates committed to collaborative accountability rather than blind top-down loyalty. He criticized the current administration for what he described as short-term, token projects that only temporarily placate residents instead of delivering the structural change needed to lift local communities out of hardship. If elected, Tzul says his administration will prioritize tangible action aligned with the actual needs of San Pedro residents, rather than the self-serving interests of incumbent officials.
As the race takes shape, the main opposition United Democratic Party has not yet revealed its candidate for the San Pedro mayoral post, leaving voters and political observers waiting for the final line-up of contenders ahead of the official election campaign period.