Editing Belize (section)

===Independent Belize (since 1981)===
{{see also|Monarchy of Belize}}

Belize was granted independence on 21 September 1981. [[Guatemala]] refused to recognize the new nation because of its longstanding territorial dispute, claiming that Belize belonged to Guatemala. After independence about 1,500 British troops remained in Belize to deter any possible Guatemalan incursions.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Merrill|editor1-first=Tim|title=Belize: A Country Study|date=1992|publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress|chapter-url=http://countrystudies.us/belize/87.htm|chapter=Relations with Britain|access-date=2 July 2016|archive-date=7 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407024832/http://countrystudies.us/belize/87.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

With [[George Cadle Price]] at the helm, the PUP won all national elections [[Belizean general election, 1984|until 1984]]. In that election, the first national election after independence, the PUP was defeated by the [[United Democratic Party (Belize)|United Democratic Party]] (UDP). UDP leader [[Manuel Esquivel]] replaced Price as prime minister, with Price himself unexpectedly losing his own [[House of Representatives (Belize)|House]] seat to a UDP challenger. The PUP under Price returned to power after elections [[Belizean general election, 1989|in 1989]]. The following year the United Kingdom announced that it would end its military involvement in Belize, and the RAF Harrier detachment was withdrawn the same year, having remained stationed in the country continuously since its deployment had become permanent there in 1980. British soldiers were withdrawn in 1994, but the United Kingdom left behind a military training unit to assist with the newly created [[Belize Defence Force]].

The UDP regained power in the [[Belizean general election, 1993|1993 national election]], and Esquivel became prime minister for a second time. Soon afterwards, Esquivel announced the suspension of a pact reached with Guatemala during Price's tenure, claiming Price had made too many concessions to gain Guatemalan recognition. The pact may have curtailed the 130-year-old border dispute between the two countries. Border tensions continued into the early 2000s, although the two countries cooperated in other areas.

In 1996, the [[Belize Barrier Reef]], one of the Western Hemisphere's most pristine ecosystems, was designated as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].

The PUP won a landslide victory in the 1998 national elections, and PUP leader [[Said Musa]] was sworn in as prime minister. In the 2003 elections the PUP maintained its majority, and Musa continued as prime minister. He pledged to improve conditions in the underdeveloped and largely inaccessible southern part of Belize.

In 2005, Belize was the site of [[2005 Belize unrest|unrest]] caused by discontent with the PUP government, including tax increases in the national budget. On 8 February 2008, [[Dean Barrow]] was sworn in as prime minister after his [[United Democratic Party (Belize)|UDP]] won [[Belizean general election, 2008|a landslide victory]] in general elections. Barrow and the UDP were re-elected [[Belizean general and local elections, 2012|in 2012]] with a considerably smaller majority. Barrow led the UDP to a third consecutive general election victory in November 2015, increasing the party's number of seats from 17 to 19. He said the election would be his last as party leader and preparations are under way for the party to elect his successor.

On 11 November 2020, the [[People's United Party]] (PUP), led by [[Johnny Briceño]], defeated the [[United Democratic Party (Belize)|United Democratic Party]] (UDP) for the first time since 2003, having won 26 seats out of 31 to form the new government of Belize. Briceño took office as Prime Minister on 12 November.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Jose |date=12 November 2020 |title=Belize elects opposition leader to succeed retiring leader |url=https://in.reuters.com/article/belize-election-idINKBN27S2AL |work=Reuters India |access-date=13 November 2020 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412124347/https://in.reuters.com/article/belize-election-idINKBN27S2AL |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2023, Belize became the second Central American country to be awarded certification for the elimination of [[malaria]] by the [[World Health Organization|WHO]].