The Importance of a Redistricting Exercise in Belize

Prime Minister John Briceño

The redistricting exercise will finally take place in the months ahead, following a recent consent order issued by the Supreme Court.  The drawing over of the boundaries for all thirty-one constituencies will see voters being moved accordingly to establish equity across all electoral districts.  This means that some constituencies will be amalgamated and new ones will be created.  This morning, Prime Minister John Briceño spoke on the importance of the long-delayed exercise.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It’s very important to point out that as a government, or the cabinet, we don’t control that exercise.  It is done independently through the Elections and Boundaries Commission.  But it is an important exercise because we need to try to keep as best as we possibly can the one vote that counts.  A vote in Fort George is supposed to count as much as a vote in Orange Walk Central or in Belize Rural South or in Belmopan and that is why the redistricting will be able to change the boundaries and to be able for most constituencies to be close to equal.  There’s usually, I think about a ten percent, plus or minus, that you can play with.  I wish we could stay with thirty-one seats, but I don’t know what is going to be the recommendation.  Probably the recommendation is that maybe a few more seats because of the growth, especially in the Cayo District.  Quite likely Belize City is going to lose a few seats because the growth has been outside of Belize City, or the tremendous growth has been outside of Belize City.  So we just have to wait and see.  Once they make these recommendations to the National Assembly and then the National Assembly would say yes or no.  But it has to happen and before the next election.”