BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — John Briceño has been sworn into office for a second consecutive five-year term as prime minister of Belize after his People’s United Party (PUP) won Wednesday’s general election, securing 26 out of the 31 seats in Parliament.

Briceño took the oath of office before Governor-General, Dame Froyla Tzalam, at the Government House during a ceremony attended by officials and supporters of the PUP.

“It is indeed an honour and a privilege to be re-elected in Orange Walk central but also to have the support of my colleagues in the National Assembly to be able to be once again appointed as the prime minister of this country,” said Prime Minister Briceño.

“So, I thank my colleagues who are here,” he said, adding that it had been a “hard battle and you did very well and we are proud of you, proud of all of you”.

“I know right now we are in a mood for celebration and rightly so, you earned that. But the task ahead of us is going to be a difficult one as I said last night when I addressed the nation. It is going to be a challenging one.”

Prime Minister Briceño said the world continues to change quickly and as a small country like Belize “we have to be able to adapt and move with the changes and ensure that at all times we can keep the Belizean people in mind and that the decisions we make is to make their lives better”.

The PUP’s sweeping victory on Wednesday was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Lord Ridge Cemetery, where Prime Minister Briceno and his wife, Rossano Briceño, paid their respects at the gravesite of the late George Cadle Price, considered the Father of the Nation.

Meanwhile, Tracy Taegar-Panton, who led the Alliance for Democracy, the breakaway faction of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), and retained her Albert seat in the election, is likely to be sworn in as opposition leader after the UDP’s leader and former opposition leader, Shyne Barrow suffered a shocking defeat in Mesopotamia.

“I am so grateful. It’s awesome.  Change is a must and change is on its way and we will rebuild the United Democratic Party at full strength,” she said.

But despite unseating Barrow, the Alliance for Democracy lost former UDP leader Patrick Faber and former national security minister, John Saldivar, who failed to retain their Collet and Belmopan seats.