Hon. Moses "Shyne" Barrow is, once again, the Leader of the Opposition, a press release from the Government of Belize (GOB) announced today.
Barrow retakes the position after only having lost it five months ago when Hon. Patrick Faber had survived the recall convention against him and eventually regained the support of the majority of the Opposition representatives in Parliament.
While The Reporter understands that Faber's official letter of resignation is still pending, Barrow, who had garnered sufficient support in the House of Representatives, was sworn in by Governor-General H.E. Froyla Tzalam.
Faber had announced his intention to resign following another allegation of domestic violence being made against him. Faber, in a video statement issued on January 24th, had said he would make his resignation effective as of Monday, January 31st. "While I maintain that the information circulating about matters with Dr. Shanikka Arnold is not the facts, the ills that come with the allegations are simply too much of a burden for me to place on the shoulders of our beloved party and its faithful membership," Faber explained in his minute-and-a-half-long video statement.
Having expressed intention to resign as both Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition, two opposition members have indicated their interest in the jobs: Hon. Tracey Panton and Hon. Barrow.
Panton, in a statement of her own, wrote: "I Tracy Panton publicly declare my interest in taking up the leadership mantle for the UDP. As the first woman in Belize to offer herself to lead a mass political party, I have no illusions that this will be an easy undertaking."
Temporary Leader of the Opposition
As was reported previously, the final decision regarding the UDP's leadership is subject to the party holding its convention where delegates are able to vote for a new leader.
Consequently, Barrow's appointment is temporary, pending the convention which will be called within 90 days of Patrick Faber's official resignation.
Opposition Member Hugo Patt had confirmed, "The Hon. Shyne Barrow will be the Leader of the Opposition on a transitional basis. ... All of this is being done temporarily."