1979 Belizean general election

General elections were held in Belize on 21 November 1979.^[1] The result was a victory for the ruling People's United Party, which won 13 of the 18 seats. Voter turnout was 90%.^[1][2]

1979 Belizean general election

← 1974 21 November 1979 1984 →
All 18 seats in the House of Representatives
Turnout	89.78%
First party Second party   UDP Leader George Cadle Price Dean Lindo Party PUP UDP Last election 12 seats 6 seats Seats won 13 5 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 23,309 21,045 Percentage 52.44% 47.35% Swing 0.26pp 8.47pp
Results by constituency
Premier before election George Cadle Price PUP Elected Premier George Cadle Price PUP

Background

The PUP went into the election with a 13–5 majority, having picked up a seat after the previous election when Toledo District Area Rep. Vicente Choco crossed the floor from the opposition United Democratic Party in 1975.^[3] The election results confirmed that 13-5 majority.

In 1979, Belizeans were concerned about their progress toward independence and the Guatemalan claim to the colony. The UDP were not in favour of advancing on the former issue without a substantial settlement of the latter, and this led the PUP to turn the election into a sort of referendum on that question. By their turnout (a record high) and their support for the PUP, Belizeans made clear their preferences and set in motion the chain of events that would lead to independence in 1981.

Results

Although the popular vote total was close, the PUP won a supermajority of seats due to the first-past-the-post voting system.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	People's United Party	23,309	52.44	13	+1
	United Democratic Party	21,045	47.35	5	–1
	Toledo Progressive Party	96	0.22	0	New
Total		44,450	100.00	18	0
Valid votes		44,450	98.84
Invalid/blank votes		521	1.16
Total votes		44,971	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		50,091	89.78
Source: Elections and Boundaries Department