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For the UDP it is one more seat in the House of Representatives, increasing the ruling party's hold on the balance of power to a comfortable 18 - 13 majority. And for Omar Figuroa, he now enters the House as one of only three representatives on either side with more than 65% of the vote in his division. The other two are Dean Barrow and Michael Finnegan. That's pretty elite company, and here's how he and his supporters celebrated the huge win in San Ignacio last night:..

Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, UDP "Ground Commander"
"Like what I said, this is not boledo, this is not lotto, this is what you put out there and this is what you get."

Jules Vasquez reporting
And once news of those numbers reached the UDP crowd of supporters outside the gate at the Center for Employment Training counting station, they erupted into wild and noisy chaos for their victorious candidate.

They kept right at it through the rain. And when their new Area Representative emerged, clasping his wife's hand, the noise got even louder.

Jules Vasquez
"Omar, you made it. How does it feel?"

Hon. Omar Figueroa, Area Representative (Elect) - Cayo North
"It feels great Jules, it feels great. I mean, I really never had any doubts about the outcome. It was just about the numbers."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you interpret this victory in terms of the UDP's entire standing, going into the March town boards?"

Hon. Dean Barrow, UDP Party Leader
"Clearly, this is a great momentum builder, but we cannot rest on our laurels, we cannot become complacent and we cannot appear to be boastful. One election at a time. We must savor the victory, but we must tomorrow begin to work towards winning again and as handsomely in the municipal elections."

Jules Vasquez
"Looking at the negative side, the PUP is saying that well we just put Harrison out there, but really want Michel Chebat to run and that will be a serious contest in the next general."

Hon. Omar Figueroa, Area Representative (Elect) - Cayo North
"Jules, there is no negative side to this. Listen to the people out there. They could send whoever they want. This is about the people of Cayo North. Send whoever they want."

And as one of only three area representatives to garner more than 65% of the vote, Figueroa should feel confident - and on this night marching triumphantly through the rain with an army at his back, why not? But he's also the only representative with a Ph. D - so should that entitle him to more than just the House of Representatives?

Jules Vasquez
"You are a very specialize and educated person. Will you become a minister? Is that foreseeable?"

Omar Figueroa, Cayo North
"Jules, I am the representative for the people of Cayo North. That's it. I am the area representative for the people of Cayo North."

Reporter
"Victory was more or less guaranteed for you, so there must have been discussions as to your future."

Omar Figueroa, Cayo North
"I have never had any discussions as to my future. My future is representing the people of Cayo North - that's it."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"With respect to our preliminary conversations, Doctor Figueroa wants to concentrate solely on the Cayo North constituency - wants to start working from now for the general elections in Cayo North."

Jules Vasquez
"And two-thirds of eighteen is twelve, so you can bring up another minister because...."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"You know I hadn't even consider that. I am thinking about winning the elections in March."

Jules Vasquez
"So, are we to expect that you will use the 18 to now bring up someone else from the back bench?"

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Expect nothing. Our concentration really, our focus is to dealing with some of the immediate issues as for example the sugar industry crisis and concentrating on the March municipal elections."

But, might they face a different outcome in the municipals - when 30 constituencies are not pouring all their energies into one as we saw on by-election day?:

Jules Vasquez
"Okay, the voter went into conservation mode. They realize that two more years with UDP and they made a practical choice."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"At the end of the day, then when two more years is up, they will stay 5 more years with UDP and they will make a practical choice."

Jules Vasquez
"When you are voting for a change of government is different from voting for a caretaker representative."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"No change of government at all sir. You remember there was a by-election with John Saldivar. So there is a difference sir."

Reporter
"The entire Cabinet, the entire UDP minister, parliamentarians were out here and that's was the reason you win big."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"How can that be the reason you win big? The reason you win big is because the voters in the constituency supported the candidate, voted for our candidate, voted for our party overwhelmingly."

Jules Vasquez
"Might it give you all what they call a fooling feeling that everybody is with you and maybe not everybody is with you?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Well I don't know is today's result is a fooling feeling, but I am telling you that it due gives us a lift in terms of going into the town board and city councils elections."

But on this night, that forethought was lost in the bellow of noisemakers and the drenching rain as the Prime Minister gave himself to the crush and chaos of victory once again even as he strode out gingerly clutching a cane, it's clearly a feeling he has come to savour, and one that even a bad back won't stop him from trying to recapture.

Correction, the UDP now have an 18 to 13 majority, not 18-14.