Thursday, October 22nd, 2015. Aaron Humes Reporting: This evening the Women’s Issues Network Belize announced that the first of its kind women candidates’ forum scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, has been canceled.
The organization along with two United Nations organizations had called the forum under the title, “Don’t worry about my GENDER, worry about my AGENDA!”
However, a majority of the ten invited candidates backed out, citing ongoing flooding concerns in the constituencies in which they are standard bearers, which they say requires their urgent attention, in providing assistance to residents living in those constituencies.
WIN Belize expressed its thanks to its partners for organizing the proposed forum and extended its support for the candidates in the general election.
Those ten candidates are, for the People’s United Party, Yasmin Shoman, Dorla Vaughan, Dr. Lesbia Guerra Cocom and the sole female representative in the last House of Representatives, Dolores Balderamos Garcia; for the United Democratic Party, Dr. Carla Barnett, Tracey Taegar-Panton, Guadalupe Magana Dyck and Beverly Castillo; and for the Belize Progressive Party, Elizabeth Dena and Edna Diaz.
Voting on November 4 is expected to produce at least one female member of the next House of Representatives, as Balderamos Garcia is matched with Beverly Castillo in Belize Rural Central.