Ralph Henry Fonseca is a Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

an politician and a member of the People's United Party

People's United Party

The People's United Party is one of two major political parties in Belize, and currently the main opposition party. It is a Christian Democratic party; the current Party Leader is Francis Fonseca....

.

Political history

In 1984, he became a candidate for the House of Representatives in Queen's Square

Constituencies of Belize

||Belize's 6 districts are politically divided into 31 constituencies. Each constituency sends one representative to Belize's House of Representatives for 5-year terms. This election is known as the General Election. Each person votes for the candidate they would want to represent their...

, running against attorney and city councillor Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow

Dean Oliver Barrow is Prime Minister of Belize and leader of the United Democratic Party. An attorney by trade, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 1998 and was then Leader of the Opposition until the UDP won the February 2008 election...

. He lost and returned to private life until 1989, when he was appointed a Senator and Minister of State in Finance and Leader of Government Business in the Senate until 1993.

In 1993 elections

Belize legislative election, 1993

General elections were held in Belize on 30 June 1993. Althouth the People's United Party received the most votes, the United Democratic Party-National Alliance for Belizean Rights alliance won more seats. Voter turnout was 72.1%.-Background:...

 he won in the newly created Belize Rural Central constituency despite the PUP's close overall loss. He repeated this victory in 1998 and 2003. He served in Cabinet as Minister of Budget Management, Investment and Home Affairs until 2003, when he was moved to Finance again while keeping Home Affairs. Beginning in 2006, he was in charge only of Home Affairs. He became the PUP's National Campaign Manager in 1985.

Fonseca was undecided as to whether he would seek a fourth term in the February 2008 election

Belizean legislative election, 2008

A legislative election was held in the nation of Belize on February 7, 2008. Beginning with this election, Belizeans elected to the House of Representatives 31 members instead of 29...

, but he subsequently decided to contest his constituency. He was defeated, in what was considered an upset, by the UDP's Michael Hutchinson, a relatively unknown candidate. On February 14, the PUP announced that Fonesca had resigned as PUP Campaign Manager.

Personal life and education

Fonseca attended St. John's College High School and Sixth Form

St. John's College, Belize

St. John's College has four divisions of outstanding reputation, and a number of acclaimed central academic centres and activities. Through its four divisions, SJC offers a wide variety of subjects covered in any secondary and two-year postsecondary curricula, delivering huge flexibility and choice...

 before going to university in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 to major in information technology

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

, specialising in systems analysis and control data. He is married with three children. Fonseca reportedly loves diving and fishing.

Non-political work

Fonseca on his return to Belize after university acted as assistant general manager of Texaco

Texaco

Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....

 oil company in Belize. He had previously engineered jobs in Canada in various capacities of information technology. In Belize he worked for Hillbank Agroindustries and Consolidated Electricity Services. Sandwiched between these were posts as chairman of the former Belize Electricity Board, now Belize Electricity Limited, and the Telecommunications Authority, now BTL

BTL

BTL may refer to:* Battle Creek , Amtrak station code BTL* Belize Telecommunications Limited, a Belizean telecommunications company* Bell Telephone Laboratories, now known as Bell Labs...

.

Criticism

As Minister of Finance, Fonseca popularized the policy of growth economics, which proposes to develop Belize's economy through privatization of assets and encouraging foreign investments, which in turn is supposed to create jobs for Belizeans. Supporters argue that Growth Economics is behind Belize's consecutive gains in total growth; detractors say any benefits from growth economics only accrues to PUP interests and in reality Fonseca has damaged Belize's international reputation due to high debt and poor economic indicators. He has further been accused of practicing official corruption, granting favors to party supporters in return for shares in the profits. However, claims either way cannot be measured.
Fonseca has a notably tense relationship with certain media houses antagonistic to his policies. The Amandala

Amandala

Amandala is a Belizean tabloid newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the "most widely circulated newspaper in Belize." It was established on August 13, 1969 as the chief spreadsheet for the United Black Association for Development...

 and KREM Radio, who under chairman Evan X Hyde

Evan X Hyde

Evan Anthony Hyde is a writer and journalist. He publishes and writes for the nation's largest newspaper, the Amandala, as well as oversee its subsidiaries, KREM Radio and Krem Television...

 had been in partnership with the PUP since 1994, claimed to have ended that relationship under pressure from Fonseca. Tropical Vision Limited

Tropical Vision Limited

Tropical Vision Limited, or as it is locally known, Channel 7, is a Belize City based television station operating since 1981.Its Managing Director is Nestor Vasquez.- Schedule :Weekdays...

Channel 7, managed by Jules Vasquez, has also come under fire by Fonseca for a perceived bias against him.