Chief Elections Officer Ensures Transparency in Referendum

Josephine Tamai

Are there any discrepancies between the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Act and the Representation of the People’s Act where monitors are concerned?  According to Tamai, the referendum should be carried out in line with the Representation of the People’s Act.

Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer

“Our legal advice is that yes, it is provided for.  The Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Act actually speaks to what is not in there.  The referendum should be conducted similar and in accordance with the Representation of the People’s Act and SI Number Twenty of 2008 speaks to who can be admitted into a polling station and that specifically included a clause to say any election monitor who the Chief Elections Officer approves to be in that station so that is where the authority comes from, because again we want to ensure transparency in this process, despite the fact that we know that we have persons saying, “Oh, nothing will be transparent, they are trying to do so many things.”  That is definitely not the case.”