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But, just like the driver of a fast car finds it hard to say off the gas, the ruling party seems to have floored it - the conservative estimate is that they had more than a thousand supporters in the procession with them - badly outdoing the PUP - but we wondered, will it translate at the polls? Here's a look at their procession:

Jules Vasquez Reporting

The story of the UDP event was, to a fair extent, the story of the crowd - it was much larger than the PUP's - and the spirit was much higher - aided in no small part, by spirits - and live music, street dancing, flags furiously aloft, even a be-shirted mule - a sort of political carnival.

Also, this event was dominated by the national figures, ministers like Boots Martinez - who had his own large crowd and the party leader and Prime Minister Dean Barrow - who did an unprecedented thing - he got out and started personally greeting bystanders, not just a few of them, pretty much everyone he could walk to.

And there were much more people on the streetside for the UDP event - in part because it was the afternoon, but also because the combustion of a well-oiled political machine can be almost magnetic.

Jules Vasquez
"I've seen a number of nominations. I've never seen a party leader walk ahead unaccompanied. I get the impression; obviously, in any crowd half the people you meet will not like you. As a politician, that's how life goes. But what emboldened you to take the unusual move of walking ahead of the crowd beyond the main flanks?"

Dean Barrow - Party Leader, UDP
"Because everything is telling me that, by and large, the people of this country, the people of Belize City - where perhaps we've had the greatest impact in terms of employment, in terms of the Southside Poverty Alleviation Projects, in terms of the food pantry -everything tells me that, by and large, I continue to enjoy the confidence and support and the affection of the people, so I can have no fear. It was also a way of testing the support. It is one thing to have people lined up behind you in an organized fashion. It is another thing to go into the throng of bystanders, pressed aflush, talk to people and encourage them to vote for us and gauge the reaction. And the reaction, having done that this afternoon, was more than I could have hoped for."

And so while Barrow's lone walk overshadowed the municipal candidates a bit, - the day really was about those candidates:

Bernard Pitts Jr. - UDP Councilor Candidate
"I am elated; I am humbled by the support from the residents of this city and, by extension, by the residents of the country."

Jules Vasquez
"But you've been - you know that the UDP is not loved in this city. They have not done a spectacular job of management; in fact, some would say they have done a spectacular job of mismanagement- in terms of the city's affairs and upkeep of this city. How do you deal with that criticism when you go out there - that people are not happy with the current state of this city."

Bernard Pitts Jr.
"Well I beg to differ so much with the mismanagement, however the new, young, vibrant team will pull the city through - will prove to the residents that we have the ability, that we have the capability and that we can to do it."

Michael Theus - UDP Councilor Candidate
"And it gives me that sense that we are going to deliver again."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you concerned that it might be a fooling feeling? We know that right now the UDP has the muscle, has the money, has the machinery. And while PUP didn't have as big a crowd at all - in fact people might be coming out because UDP is like the 'gooty' man."

Michael Theus
"We have been in the houses in the streets campaigning, and we have the concerns . We know what persons are saying out there, and they are saying they want the UDP party again, so we can continue the progress in Belize City."

Jules Vasquez
"What's the feeling like for you - being the veteran of a few campaigns, a few losing campaigns because your dad lost a number of times before you won. What's you instinct on how things are going on right now?"

Alifa Elrington - UDP councilor candidate
"I think things are going excellent. I am extremely excited. The support today has been immensely wonderful; it has been an amazing afternoon. My father walked by my side all afternoon. The fact that, you know, I have been in this since 1993 - that has given me a wealth of experience, knowledge and understanding of what it is that you are really getting into when you engage in politics. So it has been a great day so far."

Dr. Alain Gonzalez - UDP councilor candidate
"I like the energy Jules, energy! You feel the energy from we started until we got here. The people are with us - it's like the red sea all the way from the beginning of mahogany all the way to the end of mahogany street - Full!"

Dean Samuels - Seeking Third Term
"Jules, I am going to be honest; the truth is you are never going to get people that will be totally satisfied. And there is always so much more that can be done. But if I would stand here and be a hypocrite and say 'nothing has been done,' then I will be lying to myself and the Belizean public. A lot has been done by this council in the past 6 months. And I stand by that."

Jules Vasquez
"A lot like what? [laughs] I don't see a lot that has been done, with great respect."

Dean Samuels
"Jules, I'm going to be honest with you, Jules. This council personally has paved over 31 or more streets within Belize City. I'm talking about paved streets - I'm not talking about streets that have been rehabilitated."

Jules Vasquez
"If they had left the Belize City Council to have an individual election on March 7th, you would have gotten "huffed", so Dean Barrow, the party leader, as Prime Minister, had to douple up the elections to save the city council, and to sort of blanket the failures of your predecessor."

Darrell Bradley - UDP Mayoral Candidate
"No man, I totally and unreservedly disagree with your statement. The United Democaratic Party has shown in the last two years that it is uniformed; it has shown its strength month after month, day after day, when the party leader is doing his national tour, when we are doing the party meetings, the support for city council the support for general has been overwhelming. People have responded well to me as a candidate. It is not that i am the present city council, it is that I am somebody new and offering myself for the office of mayor. People are saying that they are motivated by my candidacy, and they will come out and they will support us."

And while the councilor candidates hugged it out with the PM - most observers agree that their success at the polls will be dependent on him - and the crowd he can generate:

Jules Vasquez
"What this crowd is indicative of to an observer such as myself is that the UDP certainly has the advantage in terms of machinery, muscle, and there is another - money, which in politics is a great show but is not always a good thing. How much of your support today is because the UDP is more well financially restored?"

Dean Barrow
"Jules, it is hard to answer that. I don't know what the state of the finances of the opposition is; we are relatively well off. We have never had the kinds of money that, in the past, the PUP used to have. I do feel though, that what is responsible today and what is going to be responsible for what i feel will be a victory in March, is really the government's efforts in terms of the pro-people policies."

And on Friday, the UDP expects to have a bigger crowd to prove that popularity on Friday.

Notably the Mesopotamia Division - which is the party's safest seat in the country - did not make a showing at today's event- and incumbent Michael Finnegan is expected to bring out his crowd for Friday's nomination...