And while Mena is now a representative for the remainder of this term of the UDP, the PUP say that there should be a little asterisk beside his name - not only because he came in through a by - election, but also because their candidate Anthony Sabal had only been in place since May. Today we asked Mena about that characterization, that he had an unfair advantage over a newcomer. He says the polls are closed and it makes no difference now:..
Courtney Weatherburne
"Sir, in a press conference held yesterday by the People's United Party, the Party Leader Mr. Francis Fonseca said that if Mr. Sabal had adequate time to prepare for the elections and to really touch base with the people of Dangriga he would have won. What are your comments or your feelings or thoughts on that?"
Frank Papa Mena, UDP Area Representative
"A lot of "IF". He is the leader of the Opposition, they already got flagged - All he has to do is humble up and try make sure he corrects and get ready again. That is what he has to do. A lot of IF and so on. This is not IF game. We already won over 600 plus votes and we will do all the work to increase the margin next time, because if we look back, we saw some of the little glitches that we had as well, but the IF is 
over. What I was doing before is just pretty much try to beg and get for them. So we need to catch up. We need to lobby to get the jobs in town, to get investment in the area to make sure our people are getting their lands - to make sure they are straightening up their stuff the kids in schools. I am down with that."
We've checked the record, and with his 58% majority of the vote, Frank Mena becomes the Dangriga Area Representative with the largest margin of victory percentage-wise EVER in that Division. He bettered the previous record holder Dr. Theodore Aranda by 1%. Aranda got 57% of the vote for the PUP in the 1998 general election - when the UDP were voted out in the worst overall defeat in Belize's political history.
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