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Yesterday, Prime Minister Barrow was willing to take questions on the hot button subject, and he told us that we'd have to ask Vega why he stepped down:

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Leader, UDP
"In terms of my personal conversation with him, he repeated what's in the letter that he really has grown tired and he does not want to contest the next general elections and in that context he doesn't want to continue as first deputy. Because had he been endorsed today, that would have been for 4 years because as you see, we have changed the constitution. So there will not be another convention until just under 4 years' time and that's to accommodate the fact that I am going at that junction. There clearly is, apart from what he had said, factors that I am sure influenced his decision, but as to what exactly those are, I am sure when the media gets a chance to talk to him he might wish to in fact expound on those. He has been with me as the number 2 from the time of the general elections in 2008. He has been a colleague and he has been a friend, so his departure now does leave me experiencing a personal sense of loss. I salute him..."

Reporter
"Do you regret or do you think that perhaps the taking away of natural resources was a deciding factor for him and was that a decision that perhaps you have some regrets about?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Party Leader, UDP
"No, the thing is that he has not said that and I have no reason to come to such a conclusion."

Since entering politics in 2006, Gaspar Vega and his brothers have been been significant financiers of the UDP. So, we asked both Prime Minister Barrow and the Party Chairman if the party has suffered financially because of his exit. Here's what they told us:

Daniel Ortiz
"Our information was that he and his brothers were major financers of the United Democratic Party. With his exit, do you all suffer any issues financially because of his withdrawal from the UDP?"

Alberto August
"One of the trademark of our party is that we have the ability to rebound. There are some things that we don't have any control over, so we always have the ability to rebound from any mishap that occurs in this party."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Party Leader, UDP
"He was certainly a key figure in the north. I think he raised funds and assisted any number of candidates in the north. So as I've said earlier, his departure does leave a void. It is a void that we will fill. It will take us some time to fill it, but for now we acknowledge that there will be this effort longer term that we'll have to make. We solute Gapi, his departure and the void that it leaves, it a sense helps to underline how crucial a player he was."