Dr. Osmond Martinez

With 3,268 votes, Dr. Osmond Martinez of the People's United Party (PUP) won the Toledo East by-election on Wednesday, July 17th. Martinez's opponent, Dennis Williams, with the United Democratic Party (UDP), garnered 1,169 votes, while William Maheia, under the People's National Party (PNP), received 202 votes.

On Wednesday, July 17th, the constituents of Toledo East in southern Belize will democratically elect a new Area Representative in a by-election contested by three candidates seeking to replace the late Honourable Mike Espat. They include Dr. Osmond Martinez of the People’s United Party, Dennis Williams of the United Democratic Party, and Wil Maheia of the People’s National Party. The Toledo East constituency, with its 21 villages and Punta Gorda Town, is home to nearly 8,000 registered voters, each of whom has a voice in this crucial decision.

On Sunday, June 9th, the People's United Party (PUP) hosted a convention for the Toledo East Constituency to elect a Standard Bearer for next month's upcoming bye-election. The convention was held following the passing of Area Representative Honourable Mike Espat. Three PUP candidates contested the Standard Bearer seat, which included former Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment, Dr. Osmond Martinez, Nicanor Requena, brother of Toledo West's area representative, Honourable Oscar Requena, and Melhem Espat, son of former Toledo East area representative, the late Honourable Espat. Following the counting, Dr. Martinez was declared the winner at the end of the day with 1,762 votes.

The Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) 37th Meeting of Governors of the Central American Isthmus and the Dominican Republic was held in Antigua, Guatemala, from February 5 to 6. The high-level meeting was poised to foster critical discussions on regional economic integration, infrastructure development, and bilateral cooperation.

Hon. Christopher Coye, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment, is leading a delegation at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During the first three days of the event, Minister Coye, along with Dr. Osmond Martinez, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Economic Development, held bilateral meetings, which have resulted in access of up to BZ$122 million identified and/or secured to support in-country climate adaptation and resiliency building measures.

Hon. Christopher Coye, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment; Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development; and Central Bank Governor Mr. Kareem Michael held bilateral meetings on day two at the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco, to discuss Belize's movement towards sustainable development.

Belize, at 42, has grown immensely in its economic and infrastructure position. The economy continues to develop, and our roads continue to improve; however, one type of growth we do not want to see is the growth in the number of traffic fatalities.

On August 11, Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development, and Ambassador Charles Chao-Cheng Li, Secretary General of the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a project on Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index (CORVI) data and survey collection for Belize City and its surrounding areas.