section_path: Candidates/United Democratic Party
section_name: United Democratic Party
paragraph_text: United Democratic Party
  
  Following a landslide loss in 2020, the UDP faced turbulent circumstances in opposition. The UDP held on to only two municipal seats in the 2021 municipal elections while also losing the Corozal Bay by-election on the same day. Party Leader Patrick Faber of Collet was temporarily stripped of his role as Leader of the Opposition and replaced with Moses "Shyne" Barrow of Mesopotamia after a video of what appeared to be Faber involved in a domestic dispute surfaced online. Faber was reinstated as Leader of the Opposition after a recall convention failed to meet the necessary two-thirds majority to remove him from his post. However, in January 2022, Faber's fiancée alleged to the police that Faber had assaulted her at his home. The charges were withdrawn two days later, but several members of the UDP including the party chairman called on Faber to resign his post as party leader. Faber resigned on 24 January.
  
  The UDP held a leadership convention to elect a new leader on 27 March 2022. Moses "Shyne" Barrow and Tracy Panton of Albert both ran for the position with Barrow emerging victorious by three votes. Turmoil persisted within the UDP following Barrow's election as party leader. Barrow was criticized internally for the UDP's poor showing in both the 2024 municipal elections where they only won six municipal seats and the Toledo East by-election. Following Barrow's decision to remove the standard bearers of the Port Loyola and Caribbean Shores divisions, several UDP standard bearers led a recall petition to oust Barrow from his position. Despite claiming to have collected the necessary signatures, UDP chairman Michael Peyrefitte denied the recall petition. UDP members opposed to Barrow declared Panton to be the interim leader of the party following a convention in October 2024.
  
  While Barrow remained Leader of the Opposition, the UDP was essentially splintered going into the election with both Barrow and Panton claiming to be the true leader of the UDP. A total of 41 candidates were nominated under the UDP banner on Nominations Day running for only 27 out of the 31 divisions. Twenty-five candidates were nominated by Barrow, and fifteen candidates were nominated by Panton. The remaining candidate, Anthony "Boots" Martinez in Port Loyola, did not align with either faction. All candidates running under the UDP were denoted with the colour red on the ballot.