Belizean Prime Minister John Briceño has formally recommitted to completing the nation’s long-awaited constituency redistricting process by December 2026. This constitutional mandate aims to rebalance voter representation across Belize’s thirty-one electoral districts, ensuring approximately equal population distribution in accordance with constitutional requirements.
The redistricting initiative, stalled for multiple years despite governmental assurances, requires complex constitutional amendments alongside geographical boundary revisions. Prime Minister Briceño clarified the technical challenges during a recent address, noting constitutional ambiguities regarding seat allocation formulas and elimination procedures.
“The constitutional framework lacks precise guidance on seat quantification, particularly concerning potential seat reductions in overrepresented regions like Belize City,” Briceño explained. He emphasized the distinction between total resident population counts versus registered voter numbers in redistricting calculations—a critical nuance requiring legislative clarification.
The amendment process itself demands a minimum ninety-day procedural timeline once initiated. This commitment emerges against a backdrop of persistent public and political pressure to address representation disparities that have accumulated over successive electoral cycles. The government’s renewed timeline places the completion window beyond immediate electoral concerns, focusing instead on comprehensive constitutional compliance.