What’s the Status of U.S. Ambassador to Belize

Keith Gilges

Three and a half years later and there’s still no U.S Ambassador to Belize. In fact during the presidency of Donald Trump a number of US embassies functioned without an Ambassador.  But a couple of months ago, President Trump nominated former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize. But now that the Biden administration is preparing to assume office in January, will the Republican appointee ever make it to post in Belize?  When we spoke with Chargé d’ Affaires Keith Gilges on Monday, he responded to the queries about possibility of an ambassador posted in Belize.

Keith Gilges, Chargé d’ Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Belize

“Back in, I think it was June, the White House announced Ambassador nominee Mister Andre Bauer to be the ambassador here. That’s just the first step in a long process and normally then you have to go before the senate foreign relations committee and then after that you go in front of the entire senate for a vote. Once they have confirmed your nomination, then you can be sworn in and come down here. Mister Bauer is a non-career appointed official so he is not a career person like me. So, in terms of that, now that there is likely to be a change of administration that nomination might not go forward. That will be up to the new administration coming in to say, in January when they are inaugurated, what nominees do they want to put forward for various positions around the world. So, we don’t anticipate his arrival anytime soon. He could be re-nominated by the new administration or they could select somebody else. I will be here until July, regardless.”