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Jules Vasquez reporting
The victory walk out of the Belmopan Comprehensive high school compound at nearly 11:00 pm, may have looked easy enough for the newly elected John Briceno executive, but it came after a long and grueling campaign culminating in a day of intensive work.

Where John Briceno was fully and energetically engaged throughout, right on the front line freely engaging with his opponents

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"I am very confident. But as we all know those that are in politics as long as I have been, we know that you don't know the results until you count the votes. So, today what we've been doing is making sure that we take out all the delegates that have pledge their support for us and to make sure they come in and vote as early as possible."

And it seems everyone had that idea - because the line was almost quarter mile long right out the starting gate - it just went one and on and on.

Thousands of delegates had to wait under a blazing sun for hours - one more act of loyalty for their party:

Hon. Julius Espat. PUP Deputy Leader - West
"The state of California has 170 delegates. Cayo South alone have 127. So we are far ahead of the world when it comes to democracy and I am speaking the People's United Party. The other party in Belize only have 500 plus delegates. So we are in uncharted territory and we are doing our best."

Myrtle Palacio, PUP Secretary General
"We had a mad rush of nearly 2000 persons all at the same time. So t took a long time to process that."

Hon. Julius Espat. PUP Deputy Leader - West
"Yes, I believe we lack vision in how to accommodate so much people at a convention and, we could have done it better. My people for example were complaining because they were on the line for nearly 2 hours and I have to physically come in and do what I had to do to make sure that they ended up voting."

And what those voters mostly saw were John Briceno signs and t-shirts - they were everywhere - smothering the landscape - leaving little doubt as to who spent the most money on this day:

Jules Vasquez
"We see you have very dense signage right in front of the poling area. Is this authorized or is it just by use of force?"

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"I have no clue of what you are talking about. As you know I am busy meeting the delegates and talking to the delegates, we have people that look after this. But I can assure you that we have followed the rules every step of the way."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, is the density of signage that Mr. Briceno has particularly across from the polling area, is that within the rules?"

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Former PUP Party Leader
"No exactly. But we are not complaining and wining about them. That's what we expected."

Jules Vasquez
"On election day signs don't vote, shirt don't vote. But so many people want to ride with a winner and looking at it just optically, it would appear that Mr. Briceno has the most shirts and signs out. Is that something to concern to you all?"

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Former PUP Party Leader
"Not at all. Yes, we know Mr. Briceno I think bought almost 10,000 shirts. We only have 3,000 delegates. So a lot of the people who are wearing shirts out here can't even vote."

Jules Vasquez
"Is that a deliberate strategy of your campaign to have outmatch your opponents in terms of the visual presence of signage and shirts?"

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"No not really. I mean the whole intention here is that we have people asking for our shirts and we decided then that we are going to provide them with shirts."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Former PUP Party Leader
"We are not concerned at all about the number of busses they brought from Orange Walk and other areas. We feel secure in our plan."

And while those two candidates played the muscle game, Cordel Hyde's approach was far more low key:

Jules Vasquez
"How is the feeling today? The day has finally arrived."

Hon. Cordel Hyde, Candidate for Leader
"I feel good. It's been a hectic journey for us. We've met lots of people. We traveled all over this country."

Jules Vasquez
"Today you faced the greatest odds against you in terms of: a) it's a 3-way race. b) You are certainly the underdog in terms of funding and resources..."

Hon. Cordel Hyde, Candidate for Leader
"I've always been against the odds. I've always had opponents who had more money than me. Always... the odds has always seem steep. But I don't wake up in the morning and think about the odds. I wake up in the morning and think about the opportunities and about the future and about getting things done and that's what we've tried to do. I don't come out here think morning thinking about whether I will lose or anything like that. I never think about losing when I come out here. Because I believe in people. I have faith in people."

But the truth is he didn't get to meet hundreds of those people, the delegates, some of whom were guarded closely by their divisional bosses:

Jules Vasquez
"How many were you able to make a direct appeal to?"

Hon. Cordel Hyde, Candidate for Leader
"Not nearly as much as I would have wanted to. But we met quite a good trunk of our delegates. As you said it was difficult, because some of our colleagues put up the greatest of walls and that's disappointing, because this is a democracy and each of us should have an opportunity to talk to the delegates and have them sift through the message and the knowledge and try to make an inform decision."

Jules Vasquez
"How much of the nearly 3,000 would you say you met? Over 2,000? Over 2,500?"

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"Well I met certainly over 2,000. There were a few constituencies where the former standard bearers and their representatives refused to cooperate with us. So then that required more effort. But in a way it was better, because it allowed me to go into the individual villages and meet 4-5 delegates at a time and allows me to better connect with them when I am talking about the message."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Former PUP Party Leader
"We met I think about 2,400 or so. We contacted others via other means whether by phone or by message or Facebook or whatever. So in somewhere or the other I believe we touch virtually all of the delegates with the exception of a few."

Jules Vasquez
"It has been said that you are one of the none-cooperating candidates or representatives who hid all your delegates 120...."

Hon. Julius Espat. PUP Deputy Leader - West
"My constituency is not made up of two streets. Therefore I don't even know where they are at times. We are a mountainous regions and its 13 villages throughout the whole area. I did not stop any candidate from coming into Cayo South and speaking to the delegates. But it was their responsibility to be able to organize that."

And despite the games that were played in the campaign, on election day all parties were cordial - more so than in the last contested convention in 2008. And that's probably because with three thousand delegates, the candidate that can manage the superhuman feat of meeting three thousand people in 30 days - has a chance, and no political boss can control all his delegates:

Jules Vasquez
"How difficult really to hold together (you probably have 80 or 90) 100 people?"

Greg "Papas" Garcia, Corozal Bay Standard Bearer
"I have 84 plus 7. But definitely it's difficult and you want to try to include as much people as you can. Obviously, they say its politics Jules. You know how this thing goes. They will try to get people in that would support the candidate of their choice. But at the end of the day you still have to include, because if you want to stay where you are, you have to depend on people. But definitely it's very hard, even harder now. Not like the old day where you have 25-30 people - you could just put 30 Garcia's and its done or 30 Musa's, 30 Fonseca's, 30 Briceno's. So it's very difficult. But in the end the people will decide."

And as it came close to the end of the day, it became apparent that a majority would decide on John Briceno - which led the often abrasive Julius Espat to a position that sounded almost peacible:

Hon. Julius Espat. PUP Deputy Leader - West
"This is a very tight race. I am a loyal PUP and I will follow the leader."

Jules Vasquez
"Because there are those who say that you would rather break up the party than see John Briceno ascend to leadership."

Hon. Julius Espat. PUP Deputy Leader - West
"No. That will never happen. I won't break up the People's United Party. The day I can't see eye to eye with a leader, I will pull aside and I will even mentor somebody else in my area to win. But I won't break up the People's United Party. John Briceno has good traits no doubt. He and I have certain differences in his style and I am critical to that."

Shortly after polls closed, Cordel Hyde and his camp exited, with body language suggesting defeat:

Hon. Cordel Hyde, Candidate for Leader
"It's hard to predict these things. You can never be sure what will happen and I am not going to hazard a guess at this point. I am just going to wait and see like everybody else."

But the Briceno camp knew what was coming and they didn't have to wait and see, by sundown, they were crowding the gate for their candidate.

Jules Vasquez
"Our indications are that it doesn't look good. It looks good for Briceno and not for the others. Have you heard that?"

Hon. Julius Espat. PUP Deputy Leader - West
"I am not sure. I can't tell. All I know that today will be a win for the People's United Party."

Shortly after, Chairman Henry Usher - who is on the Briceno slate - came into the compound beaming

Henry Usher, Chairman - PUP
"And yes the same updates you are getting is what I am receiving as well that the team of John Briceno is comfortably in the lead."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you feel knowing that you had a strong challenge from Oscar Requena?"

Henry Usher, Chairman - PUP
"Let me first thank Mr. Requena for all the work that he has been doing over the past weeks with the campaign, meeting all the delegates and so on. Oscar and I are colleagues, we are friends and he launched a good campaign. But I believe that from the results today, it shows that the delegates appreciate the work that I have been doing as chairman over the past 5 years."

Hon. Oscar Requena, Toledo West Representative
"What I am hearing is that in some of the boxes Hon. John is leading. But I am not getting for all the boxes."

Mike Rudon, Ch5
"We've seen you in various elections in the past. I've never seen you so disheartened."

Hon. Oscar Requena, Toledo West Representative
"I am not disheartened my brother. None at all."

Jules Vasquez
"If the boxes aren't geographic. Once you see a trend in certain boxes, that statistical trend will hold and we know the numbers. It's a blowout. You all lose."

Hon. Oscar Requena, Toledo West Representative
"That's your prediction my brother."

And there weren't many happy losers on this night - but as the Briceno victory became more apparent

Michel Chebat, Cayo North Standard Bearer
"They are still counting two boxes, but it seems that John is ahead. It seems that he is leading the polls."

Jules Vasquez
"Now you've supported Francis Fonseca. Do you see this as a loss for you?"

Michel Chebat, Cayo North Standard Bearer
"For me personally, no, it's not a loss. This is one party and we move forward from here."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you willing to throw your support behind John Briceno? We know there has always been this schism between the Fonseca camp and the Briceno camp particularly."

Michel Chebat, Cayo North Standard Bearer
"Absolutely, we are one party."

Jules Vasquez
"What happens next?"

Anthony Mahler, Communications Director
"Unity starts tomorrow as well. It's not about old guard and new guard. We have to be the people's guard and we have to work hard for the people. It's not about which side you're on, we have to be on the people's side at all times."

Jules Vasquez
"You are the champion of the south."

Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Deputy Leader - South
"The people have spoken across the country of Belize, so it feels very good and I am appreciative of that."

Jules Vasquez
"The numbers we've seen indicate that you have won by quite possibly the largest margin. How do you explain this?"

Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Deputy Leader - South
"It was a hard fight and at the same time it was hard work."

Jules Vasquez
"How will you mend fences with Mike Espat? We know that, it is said that he is not the most forgiving person and perhaps there might be rocky days ahead in the south."

Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Deputy Leader - South
"I don't think so. I am team player. I will reach out to Mike Espat and I will figure how we can come together."

Hon. Jose Mai, PUP Deputy Leader - North
"I've always considered Florencio to be a giant in the political arena. He is my friend, he is my colleague, but his father was a great politician and he is also a great politician. So I never thought it would have been an easy fight. Never. The objective, primary overwhelming objective - tomorrow is unity. That is our primary objective. We will try reach out to every single person. We have to unite and that is our main focus - unity."

And the man who has to deliver that unity and so much more was the last to enter the compound, in triumph:

Jules Vasquez
"Mr. John Briceno, back again leader of the PUP. How does it feel?"

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"It's a wonderful feeling. It's something that you can never prepare for, but its hard work. We put in a lot of hard work."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you move forward in healing the party? Any convention is a divisive process. But the fact is the PUP has been divided long before that."

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"Conventions are good. It's a part of the democratic process and now what we need to do is to tell everybody the elections are over, let's put our differences aside, let's think about our people, our supporters, about our soldiers and lets think about Belize."

Jules Vasquez
"Now the undermining of the old guard in the last convention you won started almost immediately after you took office and you continued right up until some would say they chased you out of office. But how do you see that particular rift?"

Hon. John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"With experience you learn. I am going to reach out to everyone. Tomorrow, I want to go and visit them individually, the Hon. Francis Fonseca and Cordel and Julius and Mike and everybody and I want to tell them let's forget our differences, let's work. The People's United Party is not a social party, it is a political party and we have a common bond that we want to serve the people and we can only do that by winning elections and by getting to Belmopan. But there is one difference this time, I am going to reach out. But if after a while I see people that are still attempting to undermine the party, it is time for those people to leave. I am not going to do it alone. I don't have that power under the constitution, but I am going to call a national party council meeting for us to decide that and if we have to have a national convention - we are going to do that."

A Briceno hardline. One that he laid down on his first night back in the leader's seat - but politics is the art of compromise, and after the fist pumping subsides - days to come will tell where Briceno really draws the line.

Briceno is party leader - but only 40% of the 2753 delegates voted for him.

His entire slate was elected, so Jose Mai is Deputy Leader for the North - he beat Florencio Marin Jr by 96 votes, while Rodwell Ferguson is Deputy Leader for the South - he beat Mike Espat by 514 votes. Henry Usher is chairman; he beat Oscar Requena by 282 votes and Anthony Mahler is communications director, he beat Dolores Balderamos Garcia by 382 votes. Later on, we'll have a little more from the convention.