On April 2, 2026, one of the most significant constitutional reform processes in Belize in recent decades has reached a make-or-break turning point, as the country’s Cabinet enters the final stages of reviewing a landmark set of proposals from the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC).
This week, cabinet ministers received a full technical briefing on the independent review of the PCC’s recommendations, marking the first formal update on the commission’s proposals ahead of the government’s official stance on potential changes to Belize’s national constitution. With discussions intensifying and high-stakes decisions just weeks away, the process is now moving at a clear pace to meet a legally mandated timeline.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh, who is leading the government’s coordination on the reform effort, laid out the steps the administration has taken to date to evaluate the proposals. “We have now held four formal meetings with the former chairs of the PCC,” Dr. Zabaneh confirmed in an on-record briefing. “We have also held separate consultations with stakeholder groups that expressed dissenting opinions on the commission’s proposals, and we have worked in close coordination with the Attorney General’s Ministry throughout the entire process.”
To ensure the technical and legal soundness of the recommendations, the government contracted independent constitutional law experts from the United Kingdom to conduct a thorough third-party review of the PCC’s proposals. That review has now been completed, and Dr. Zabaneh shared the full findings with Cabinet during its most recent meeting.
Looking ahead, the Cabinet has scheduled an all-day retreat in the third week of April to conduct a line-by-line review of every recommendation, with the goal of finalizing the government’s official position. By law, the administration is required to present its final decision to the House of Representatives by early May, leaving a tight timeline for deliberations.
This report is a full transcript of an evening television news broadcast, with Kriol language statements transcribed using a standardized spelling system where applicable.