GOVERNMENT
Belize
is a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster model and
is a member of the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II is head of
state and is represented in the country by Governor General Dr.
Colville N. Young, Sr., a Belizean and Belize's second governor
general. The primary executive organ of government is the cabinet,
led by a prime minister (head of government). Cabinet ministers
are members of the majority political party in parliament and
usually hold elected seats in the National Assembly concurrently
with their cabinet positions.
The National Assembly consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The 31 members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum 5-year term. The governor general appoints the Senate's 12 members. Six are appointed in accordance with the advice of the prime minister, 3 with the advice of the leader of the opposition. (A majority of Belizeans who decided to participate in the referendum held along with the national elections on February 7, 2008 voted in favor of a change from the current appointed Senate to an elected one.) The Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee each advise the Governor General on the appointment of one senator each. The Senate is headed by a president, who is a nonvoting member appointed by the governing party.
Members of the independent judiciary are appointed. The judicial system includes local magistrates, the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal. Cases may, under certain circumstances, be appealed to the Privy Council in London. However, in 2001 Belize joined with most members of the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) to establish a "Caribbean Court of Justice," which was inaugurated on April 16, 2005. The country is divided into six districts: Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, and Toledo.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
In national elections on February 7, 2008, the United Democratic Party (UDP) prevailed over the incumbent People's United Party (PUP). The UDP won 25 of the 31 seats in the House of Representatives, while the PUP won the other six seats. UDP leader Dean Barrow replaced PUP leader Said Musa as Prime Minister. The PUP governed Belize from 1998-2008; the UDP from 1993-98; the PUP from 1989-1993; and the UDP from 1984-89. Before 1984, the PUP had dominated the electoral scene for more than 30 years and was the party in power when Belize became independent in 1981. Third-party alternatives to the two-party system have arisen in the recent years, but these parties garnered less than 2% of the vote in the February 2008 elections.
The previous government implemented an economic adjustment program, with the aim of (1) increasing revenues, (2) decreasing public sector expenditures, (3) narrowing the fiscal deficit to 1% of GDP, (4) improving the balance of payments, and (5) increasing the country's foreign reserves. Belize's outstanding public debt at the end of June 2007 was U.S. $1.17 billion, an amount that is equivalent to approximately 90.4% of GDP. On January 31, 2007 the Government of Belize officially announced that the holders of Belize's public external commercial indebtedness agreed to exchange their existing claims against the country for new bonds to be issued by Belize maturing in 2029. Belize traditionally maintains a deep interest in the environment and sustainable development. A lack of government resources seriously hampers these goals. On other fronts, the government is working to improve its law enforcement capabilities. A longstanding territorial dispute with Guatemala continues, although cooperation between the two countries has increased in recent years across a wide spectrum of common interests, including trade and environment. Seeing itself as a bridge, Belize is actively involved with the Caribbean nations of CARICOM, and also has taken steps to work more closely with its Central American neighbors as a member of SICA (Central American Integration System).
Principal
Government Officials
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Sir Colville N. Young, Sr.
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance--Dean Barrow
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment--Gaspar Vega
Minister of Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Consumer Protection--Erwin Contreras
Minister of National Security--Carlos Perdomo
Minister of Labor--Gabriel Martinez
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Attorney General--Wilfred Elrington
Ambassador to the United States--Nestor Mendez
Ambassador to the OAS--Nestor Mendez
Ambassador to the United Nations--Janine Coye Felson
Belize
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (tel: 202-332-9636; fax: 202-332-6888)
Type: Parliamentary democracy
Independence: September 21, 1981.
Constitution: September 21, 1981.
Branches: Executive--British monarch (head of state), represented by a governor general; prime minister (head of government, 5-year term). Legislative--bicameral National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, district magistrates.
Subdivisions: Six districts.
Political parties: People's United Party (PUP), United Democratic Party (UDP), National Alliance for Belizean Rights (NABR). National Reform Party (NRP), Vision Inspired By the People (VIP), People's National Party (PNP), We the People (WTP).
Suffrage: Universal adult.
