Politics in Belize
Conventional Long Form Name: Belize
Capital City: Belmopan
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
Date of Independence: 21 September 1981
National Holiday(s): Independence Day, 21 September
Capital City: Belmopan
Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
Date of Independence: 21 September 1981
National Holiday(s): Independence Day, 21 September
Executive Branch/Powers: Hereditary monarchy, the monarch appoints the Governor General, the Prime Minister is appointed by the governor general following elections, the Deputy Prime Minister is recommended by the Prime Minister
Legislative Branch/Powers: Bicameral legislature, Senate with 12 seats (6 appointed the Governor General, 3 recommended by the leader of the opposition, 1 selected by each the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee, members serve four year terms; House of Representatives with 31 seats, selected by popular vote, serve five year terms
Judicial Branch/Powers: Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with the court president and 3 other justices, and the Supreme Court with the chief justice and 2 other judges), justices appointed by the Governor General, justices must retire by age 75
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ambassador to the US: Nestor Mendez
Location of Embassy in the US: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Consulate(s) in the US: Los Angeles
US ambassador to Belize: N/A; Charge d'Affaires Margaret Hawthorne
Location of US Embassy in Belize: Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District
US Consulate(s) in Belize: N/A
Representative to UN: Lois Michele Young
Legislative Branch/Powers: Bicameral legislature, Senate with 12 seats (6 appointed the Governor General, 3 recommended by the leader of the opposition, 1 selected by each the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee, members serve four year terms; House of Representatives with 31 seats, selected by popular vote, serve five year terms
Judicial Branch/Powers: Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with the court president and 3 other justices, and the Supreme Court with the chief justice and 2 other judges), justices appointed by the Governor General, justices must retire by age 75
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ambassador to the US: Nestor Mendez
Location of Embassy in the US: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Consulate(s) in the US: Los Angeles
US ambassador to Belize: N/A; Charge d'Affaires Margaret Hawthorne
Location of US Embassy in Belize: Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District
US Consulate(s) in Belize: N/A
Representative to UN: Lois Michele Young
Symbolism of Flag: Blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland of 50 mahogany leaves; the colors are those of the two main political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP; various elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that led to British settlement of Belize
National Symbol(s): Baird's tapir, keel-billed toucan
Description of International Disputes: Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to the Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, which was scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, though this has been suspended indefinitely; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty
Quantity of Refugees inside Country and Country of Origin of Refugees: N/A
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
Quantity of Stateless Persons: N/A
Description of Human Trafficking Issues: N/A
Description of Illicit Drug Trafficking/Use: Transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption; offshore sector money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and other crimes
Description of International Disputes: Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to the Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, which was scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, though this has been suspended indefinitely; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty
Quantity of Refugees inside Country and Country of Origin of Refugees: N/A
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
Quantity of Stateless Persons: N/A
Description of Human Trafficking Issues: N/A
Description of Illicit Drug Trafficking/Use: Transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption; offshore sector money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and other crimes