Belize's Governance: A Book's Insight

The book How We Are Governed: Belize provides an overview of the country's political system and how it functions. Belize is a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy with a multi-party system. The book likely covers the roles of the king, prime minister, governor general, and cabinet members in the Belizean government. It may also delve into the legislative and executive powers, the electoral process, and the structure of the National Assembly, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The book is a valuable resource for understanding the governance of Belize and how power is distributed among its various institutions.

Belize's parliamentary system

Belize is a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, with a constitutional framework based on the Westminster model. The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1981 and is now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The king of Belize, Charles III, is the head of state and is represented in the country by a governor-general, currently Froyla Tzalam. The governor-general acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. The prime minister is the head of government and the leader of the House of Representatives. The prime minister of Belize since 12 November 2020 has been Johnny Briceño.

The National Assembly of Belize is the Legislature or Parliament of Belize and is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate (Upper House) and the House of Representatives (Lower House). The 31 members of the House of Representatives are popularly elected to a maximum five-year term of office. The 12 members of the Senate are nominated and appointed by the governor-general. The National Assembly makes laws for the peace, order and good governance of Belize. All laws made by the National Assembly are styled 'Acts'.

The Senate's role is to provide oversight to the administrative policies and economics of the government through various Standing Committees of the House of Representatives. The Senate has restricted powers when it comes to money Bills, which are Bills that appropriate revenue or other public money. The House of Representatives is responsible for making decisions on money Bills, and the Senate considers these but cannot block or amend them.

The role of the prime minister

The Prime Minister of Belize is the head of the government and the leader of the political party that holds a majority in the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister's role is established by section 37 of the Constitution of Belize, which outlines that the governor-general of Belize appoints the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister's principal office is the Sir Edney Cain Building in Belmopan.

The Prime Minister of Belize is currently Johnny Briceño, who assumed office on November 12, 2020. Briceño is the fifth Belizean politician to serve as Prime Minister. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1998 to 2007 and as Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2011 and again from 2016 onwards. Briceño is a member of the centre-left People's United Party (PUP) and has served in various leadership roles within the party.

In summary, the Prime Minister of Belize is the head of the government and plays a crucial role in leading the country's executive branch. They are responsible for appointing Cabinet ministers, assisting in the appointment of senators, and representing their political party as its leader. The Prime Minister works closely with the governor-general, who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

The governor-general

Belize is a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, with King Charles III as its head of state. As the king of Belize, Charles III is represented in the country by a governor-general, who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. The current governor-general of Belize is Froyla Tzalam, who has held the position since 27 May 2021.

One of the key responsibilities of the governor-general is the appointment of senators to the Senate, the upper house of the National Assembly of Belize. The Senate consists of 13 senators, including the president, who are appointed by the governor-general based on advice from various sources. Six senators are appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one each on the advice of specific organisations and associations, such as the Belize Council of Churches and the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. The governor-general also plays a role in the selection of the president of the Senate, who is chosen by the 13 senators from among themselves or from the general populace.

The Belize Defence Force

The history of the Belize military dates back to 1817, when the Prince Regent Royal Honduras Militia, a volunteer organization, was founded. Since then, the military force in Belize has had ten different names, including the Belize Volunteer Force, the British Honduras Defence Force, and the Belize Volunteer Guard. The BDF was founded in 1978 following the disbanding of the Belize Volunteer Guard and the Police Special Force the year before.

The BDF consists of three infantry battalions, each comprising three companies, three reserve companies, and one support battalion. The First Infantry Battalion was established in 1993, as a direct result of the British Government's decision to withdraw British Forces from Belize and hand over the country's defence to Belizeans. The battalion is equipped with small arms, a fleet of transportation, its integral logistics slice, and its own signalers. It operates across the country, alternating between the south and the north of Belize.

The Second Infantry Battalion, formed in 1994, is a combination of male and female soldiers. The battalion initially consisted of three infantry companies: Sierra, Alpha, and Echo Company. In 2000, the battalion's nomenclature was changed to Land Command South (LCS) or Land Command North (LCN), depending on rotation. In 2002, the battalion reverted to being the Second Infantry Battalion, this time under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds Lewis.

The Support Battalion commands the specialist platoons of the force, including the Administrative Company, Mortar Platoon, Signal Platoon, Reece Platoon, and the Combat Engineer Platoon. The Combat Engineer Platoon has heavy equipment and is trained in construction and renovation work. They also have an Explosive Ordnance Device Team responsible for defusing or destroying bombs and engaging in demolition work.

In addition to the ground forces, the BDF also has an aviation branch known as the Belize Defence Force Air Wing, formed in 1983. The Air Wing is based at the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Ladyville and is responsible for reconnaissance, search and rescue, aerial resupply, troop transport, and assisting the police in drug interdiction and anti-smuggling operations. The Air Wing has a variety of aircraft in its inventory, including Britten-Norman Defenders, Ayres Thrush planes, and helicopters donated by Taiwan.

Local government

Belize has a system of local government comprising four types of local authorities: city councils, town councils, village councils, and community councils. The two city councils (Belize City and Belmopan) and seven town councils cover the urban population of the country, while village and community councils cover the rural population.

City and town councils consist of a mayor and a number of councillors (ten in Belize City, six in Belmopan and the towns). Mayors and councillors are directly elected to three-year terms, using the first-past-the-post system. The most recent municipal elections were held in March 2006. The mayor (except in Belize City) acts as the chief executive of the city or town and allocates portfolios to the other councillors.

Village councils consist of a chairperson and six councillors, who are directly elected by registered villagers. Village councils in their current form were established by the Village Councils Act 1999, and the first elections for village councils were held in March and April 2003.

According to the Government of Belize website, "urban authorities are responsible for street maintenance and lighting, drains, refuse collection and public cemeteries. They also have discretionary powers over other services including infrastructure, parks and playgrounds, markets and slaughterhouses, public libraries, public buildings and the amenities of the city or town centre." Village and community councils have a more limited range of functions: they "encourage and assist cooperation on economic and social development and general welfare", and can run community centres.

Some rural villages in Belize also have an alcalde: a local magistrate who has both an administrative and a judicial role. In addition to presiding over local courts, alcaldes are responsible for managing communal land and acting as school officers. This form of local governance is practised mainly in Mayan communities in Belize, but any rural community can choose to appoint an alcalde.

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