Belize: Farewell, Founding Father

Sometimes it seemed that George Price, 65, Prime Minister of the tiny Central American country of Belize, formerly British Honduras, knew most of his 157,000 fellow citizens by their first names. After all, he had won every major election after 1954 and guided the nation since it became independent in 1981. His victory in the first post-independence parliamentary elections seemed certain.

Late last week, however, voters decided to replace their founding father. Price's People's United Party was swept out of office in favor of the United Democratic Party, which won 55% of the popular vote and 21 of the 28 seats in Parliament. U.D.P. Leader Manuel Esquivel, 44, the new Prime Minister, said he will "pursue good relations with the United States" and work for settlement of a territorial dispute with neighboring Guatemala, but his policies are not expected to differ much from those of his predecessor. So lopsided was the vote that Price lost his own Belize City seat to the U.D.P.'s Derek Aikman, 25, a newcomer to politics.