Indeed there are so many angles on the election and so many stories, and yesterday our 7News election team fanned out across the country to gauge readiness and gather results. Here’s some of what we captured.

Keith Swift Reporting,
This was the scene at most polling stations yesterday – a trickle of voters. In fact with the - what seemed like an usually low voter turnout – everyone was guarded in their optimism.

Hon. Johnny Briceno, PUP Leader
“If you are to ask any political pundit, they will tell you that the party that wins the central government, they would win everything in the next the election. So I think we need to start off with that.”

Cecil “Chubby” Reneau, PUP Mayoral Candidate
“I don’t want to play the numbers but what I will say: we have the best team. We have the best organization, we have the best party and our PUPs will come out to secure the victory. I am confident of that.”

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
“I still feel that there will be a little bit of slippage. I don’t think a lot, I don’t think anything major but we’re not, in my view, going to maintain that absolute, completely dominant majority that we had going into today’s election.”

Hon. Edmund Castro, UDP Belize Rural North Rep.
“I think the projection is clear: this is a midterm election and nobody will go outside of the fray. This will be a UDP win from Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize City, out at the cayes, Belmopan, Benque, San Ignacio, Dangriga…”

Keith Swift,
So you’re more confident than the Prime Minister because he told me he doesn’t expect to win everything.

Hon. Edmund Castro,
“No we will not lose no ground.”

And maybe Castro knew what he was talking about. The first results in were from the Albert and Pickstock divisions.

Wayne Usher, UDP City Councillor Candidate
“We are still counting, we don’t have that many more ballots to count. We will be finished fairly early but all indications are that the UDP will win Picktock.”

Phillip Willoughby, UDP City Councillor Candidate
“Unconfirmed reports from the Calvary Temple area, the solid votes at its reconciliation point: 96 solid red to 90 solid blue and there are splits and still going in our favour.”

And while Albert was close – it was a landslide in Mesopotamia – and at nine pm - Area Representative Michael Finnegan was already in his bed.

Hon. Michael Finnegan, Mesopotamia Area Representative
“I want to apologize but I’ve been up since one o’clock this morning and I have worked extremely hard to get Miss Moya to be successful or to get re-elected in Mesopotamia division. So I am beat, I am going to sleep in a while.

To be frank with you, and I want to be truthful to you, it is my view and I may be wrong that all the scandal and all the attack that was made against the Mayor I believe hurt her and hurt the turnout. That is in my view.”

Keith Swift,
When you left the counting, what was it looking like?

Hon. Michael Finnegan,
“The two boxes from the Salvation Army School were finished. In the solid votes you could say that we have won that almost by three hundred votes. And there are some eighty odd split votes at that school. But all the split votes are leaning in favour of the UDP. So you can see that the split votes were UDP voters who voted for two or three PUP candidates. So the victory in the Mesopotamia division will be massive.”

Massive in Mesop and in Port Loyola – where Area Rep. Boots declared victory at 10 pm.

Keith Swift,
How many more boxes to count?

Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, Port Loyola Area Rep.
“That is halfway on the mountain so four more boxes to count.”

Keith Swift,
So it looks promising?

Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“It is only getting worse for the PUP.”

Keith Swift,
As you talk about worse, aren’t you disappointed with the turnout in your division, it is less than 50%.

Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“Man I wish that not even one PUP would have come out. I brought out mines. Me should be disappointed? When you look at the numbers arithmetic don’t lie. Percentages are just a part of a number. I wish that PUP would have brought out none. What is important is the victory.”

Half hour later – councillor candidate Leila Peyrefitte made it official.

Keith Swift,
That sounds like a landslide.

Leila Peyrefitte, UDP City Councillor Candidate
“Yes it is.”

Keith Swift,
How are you feeling right now?

Leila Peyrefitte,
“Very very good. First of all I would like to thank the residents of Belize for coming out and voting, casting their votes, and again giving the United Democratic Party another three years and we will get a lot done in the next three years.”

Keith Swift,
Did you expect this?

Leila Peyrefitte,
“Umm yes I did. I expected a landslide in Port.”

Keith Swift,
For the next three years, if you are guys are elected, can we expect a Belize City Council that will work together, no rivalry, no fighting? Will you guys be a cohesive big happy family?

Leila Peyrefitte,
“We were always a cohesive big happy family. We are all adults, individual adults, and we have our differences but we all come together and do everything for the residents of Belize.”

In Collet – the then soon to be newly elected councillor Andrew Faber – standing next to his big brother Hon. Patrick Faber was overwhelmed.

Andrew Faber, UDP City Councillor Candidate
“Very good. I must say the reports up there are very well I must say honestly. I’ve been there through the years with my brother. I think I can last it out until the final results.”

Hon. Patrick Faber, Andrew’s Brother
“Absolutely proud. He has done well, certainly in the Collet Area here, as we’ve been confident all day here that we will be victorious here in this division.”

And in Lake I – there was a burst of energy as Dion Leslie emerged and declared victory.

Dion Leslie, UDP City Councillor Candidate
“We win Lake I. We won six in Lake I. The UDP won six seats in Lake I so I said we won Lake I.”

Keith Swift,
Did you expect to do this well?

Dion Leslie,
“We put in a lot of work so my theory from the beginning was you only get out what you put in and we put in a lot of work, a lot of hours, fixed a lot of streets, visited a lot of homes, and so I think we expected a lot.”

Keith Swift,
What does this victory mean?

Dion Leslie,
“Like I said in an interview earlier, I think Lake I is swinging now. After 12 years of PUP rule, it is becoming a UDP area again.”

And while Dion Leslie declared victory, the PUP’s Alberto Vellos defiantly denied defeat.

Alberto Vellos, PUP Councillor Candidate
“They said that they not only want change, they demand change and that is exactly what the result in Fort George is saying. I believe the party will have to sit back and look at where it is, look at its strong leaders, and look at how best we could look forward.”

Keith Swift,
Who is the strong leader, the only divisions you won were for Said Musa and Mark Espat?

Alberto Vellos,
“Well then that is something we will have to sit back and ask ourselves. But it is a must, the PUP is the greatest party in the history of Belize.”

But for UDP Chairman Doug Singh, victory was certain by midnight.

Doug Singh, UDP Chairman
“We’ve confirmed of course that we’ve had Benque, San Ignacio, Belmopan, San Pedro, we’re doing great in the city, we’re just about to wrap it up here at Freetown. I understand we’re in the lead in Dangriga, we’re in the lead in Punta Gorda and in Corozal and in Orange Walk it is pretty close, too close to call at this point in time, so I think generally speaking the outcome is excellent.”

And for Eric Chang who was greeted by jubilant supporters - he had done something no other Chinese Belizean has.

Keith Swift,
How do you feel right now?

Eric Chang, UDP City Councillor Candidate
“Well I am thankful and I am humble. I have to thank all the people who came out and vote today. They did a good job and this is a great victory for us.”

Keith Swift,
Do you appreciate the history of the moment, that you are the first Chinese Belizean elected to public office?

Eric Chang,
“Yes and I am thankful.”

Keith Swift,
What difference do you see yourself making?

Eric Chang,
“To serve the people, that is the bottom line. To serve the people.”

But last night it was a celebration and all roads led to the UDP headquarters near the Bel-China Bridge. They were there for the arrival of newly re-elected Mayor Zenaida Moya. She got there at 1 am and was mobbed by supporters. Only 7News was there.

Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City Elect
“I feel extremely happy of course. I am surrounded by my supporters. It feels good. Victory feels good.”

Keith Swift,
How does it compare to three years ago?

Zenaida Moya,
“Well you know just knowing that I have been able, along with my supporters, we have been able to survive the onslaught as I told you. To me it feels a whole lot better tonight. I’ll be frank with you.

After the onslaught that I’ve had to endure over the past few months, it simply feels good. I knew we were going to win. I never gave up hope and I was always confident that we would win but it feels good. You know it is like a boxer; every time you finish twelve rounds of boxing they throw a new contender at you and every time I had to be putting forth some jabs and trying to do something. So after all that it feels good to actually sit down, relax, and enjoy victory.”

And as she basked in the glow of a victory with her newly elected first time councillors – she knows one thing they don’t – the time to enjoy the victory might be short lived.

Early indications are that Moya’s council will be sworn in next Tuesday. Notably, Eric Chang, the first Chinese-Belizean elected to public office, topped the polls for the UDP with 9,428 votes.