BELIZE (Bloomberg) - Voters in Belize elected opposition candidate John Antonio Briceno as Prime Minister, in a vote that took place amid flooding, storm damage and the worst economic slump in Central America.
Ruling party candidate Patrick Faber conceded defeat as vote counters tallied ballots.
The elections and boundaries department said turnout reached 81%.Belize's Channel 5 called the election for Briceno as his party picked up key swing seats in the 31-member national assembly."
I sent a note to the honorable John Briceno in which I expressed my heartfelt congratulations on the election victory for him and the People's United Party," ruling party candidate Patrick Faber said on Wednesday night. "The challenges that he and his government will face will not be easy and he will need all the support he can garner to see our great nation through the long road to recovery."
The election was held in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, which hit the region last week.
Briceno has pledged to crack down on corruption, revive agriculture and tourism and fast track a stimulus package through parliament. He will take over a nation of 400,000 people weighed down by one of the world's heaviest debt loads and a tourism industry shattered by the pandemic.
The economy is set to shrink 16% this year, the biggest drop since at least 1980, according to the International Monetary Fund, after the country shut its borders in April to combat the spread of Covid-19. It only reopened its airports to international visitors last month.