Editing Belize (section)

==Government and politics==

{{Main|Politics of Belize}}{{see also|Government of Belize}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series-->
[[File:Belmopan Parliament.jpg|thumb|[[National Assembly (Belize)|National Assembly]] in [[Belmopan]]]]
Belize is a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy]]. The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system, and the legal system is modelled on the [[English law#Common law|common law of England]]. The head of state is [[Charles III]], who is the [[King of Belize]]. He lives in the United Kingdom, and is represented in Belize by the [[Governor-General of Belize|governor-general]]. Executive authority is exercised by the cabinet, which advises the governor-general and is led by the [[Prime Minister of Belize|prime minister]], who is head of government. Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in parliament and usually hold elected seats within it concurrent with their cabinet positions.

The bicameral [[National Assembly of Belize]] comprises a [[House of Representatives of Belize|House of Representatives]] and a [[Senate of Belize|Senate]]. The 31 members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum five-year term and introduce legislation affecting the development of Belize. The governor-general appoints the 12 members of the Senate, with a Senate president selected by the members. The Senate is responsible for debating and approving bills passed by the House.

[[Legislative power]] is vested in both the government and the [[Parliament of Belize]]. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.<ref>{{cite web|title=Belize 1981 (rev. 2001)|url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Belize_2001?lang=en|website=Constitute|access-date=30 March 2015|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417141723/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Belize_2001?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

Members of the independent judiciary are appointed. The judicial system includes local magistrates grouped under the Magistrates' Court, which hears less serious cases. The [[Supreme Court of Belize|Supreme Court]] (chief justice) hears murder and similarly serious cases, and the Court of Appeal hears appeals from convicted individuals seeking to have their sentences overturned. Defendants may, under certain circumstances, appeal their cases to the [[Caribbean Court of Justice]].

=== Political culture ===

In 1935, elections were reinstated, but only 1.8 percent of the population was eligible to vote. In 1954, women won the right to vote.<ref name="clio"/>

Since 1974, the party system in Belize has been dominated by the centre-left [[People's United Party]] and the centre-right [[United Democratic Party (Belize)|United Democratic Party]], although other small parties took part in all levels of elections in the past. Though none of these small political parties has ever won any significant number of seats or offices, their challenge has been growing over the years.

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Belize}}
Belize is a full participating member of the [[United Nations]]; the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]; the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS); the [[Central American Integration System]] (SICA); the [[Caribbean Community]] (CARICOM); the [[CARICOM Single Market and Economy]] (CSME); the [[Association of Caribbean States]] (ACS); and the [[Caribbean Court of Justice]] (CCJ), which currently serves as a final court of appeal for only Barbados, Belize, Guyana and Saint Lucia. In 2001, the Caribbean Community heads of government voted on a measure declaring that the region should work towards replacing the UK's [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] as final court of appeal with the Caribbean Court of Justice. It is still in the process of acceding to CARICOM treaties including the trade and single market treaties.

[[File:Royal Marines feel the heat in the jungle of Belize MOD 45162175.jpg|thumb|A British [[Royal Marine]] training in the jungle of Belize in 2017]]
Belize is an original member (1995) of the [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO), and participates actively in its work. The pact involves the Caribbean Forum ([[CARIFORUM]]) subgroup of the [[African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States|Group of African, Caribbean, and Pacific states]] (ACP). CARIFORUM presently the only part of the wider ACP-bloc that has concluded the full regional trade-pact with the [[European Union]].

The [[British Army Training and Support Unit Belize|British Army Garrison]] in Belize is used primarily for [[jungle warfare]] training, with access to more than {{convert|5000|sqmi|order=flip}} of jungle terrain.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Lease of Life for British Army Base in Belize|url=http://forces.tv/85677232|date=7 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411024152/http://forces.tv/85677232|work=Forces TV|archive-date=11 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Belize is a party to the [[Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://asp.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/asp/states%20parties/latin%20american%20and%20caribbean%20states/Pages/latin%20american%20and%20caribbean%20states.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809030312/https://asp.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/asp/states%20parties/latin%20american%20and%20caribbean%20states/Pages/latin%20american%20and%20caribbean%20states.aspx |url-status=live |title=Latin American and Caribbean State Parties to the Rome Statute|publisher= International Criminal Court|access-date= 10 July 2021 |archive-date=9 August 2021 }}</ref>

The United States (U.S.) is a major diplomatic partner to Belize and has been since 1981, following their Independence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-01 |title=Belize {{!}} History, Capital, Language, Map, Flag, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Belize |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Over the past few decades, relations between the two states have consistently grown through mutual cooperation, forming a strong, long-lasting partnership. In Belize, areas such as the economy, international/national security, and education have greatly improved with the support of the U.S.

The U.S. frequently offers Belize financial support. Most recently in 2024, the development of the U.S. foreign assistance agency, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), was a big step in addressing further growth in the economy. The MCC is a U.S. government-funded foreign assistance agency that focuses on reducing poverty through economic growth. It provides grants as opposed to loans, ensuring the program is not profit-driven. In Belize, this has translated into a system that modernizes educational opportunities and enhances the energy sector.  Historically, Belize and the U.S. have had good relations because of a shared commitment to democratic governance. Along with financial aid, the U.S. has continuously provided disaster relief after detrimental natural disasters that have been a threat to Belize's overall stability. ''<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Relations With Belize |url=https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-belize/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=United States Department of State |language=en}}</ref> ''

The U.S. Peace Corps has also played a pivotal role in Belize. Since 1952, the U.S. Peace Corps has a public health and education program in Belize through the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Program in Central America. Volunteers work in rural and urban communities to address the improvement of education, economic development, public health, etc. These efforts have strengthened the relations between Belize and the U.S. on a more community-based level.<ref name=":03"/>

===Armed forces===

{{Main|Military of Belize}}
[[File:Belize Coast Guard and U.S. Navy Working Together.jpg|thumb|left|Belizean Coast Guard working with the [[United States Navy]]]]

The [[Belize Defence Force]] (BDF) serves as the country's military. The BDF, with the Belize National Coast Guard and the Immigration Department, is a department of the Ministry of Defence and Immigration. In 1997 the regular army numbered more than 900, the reserve army 381, the air wing 45 and the maritime wing 36, amounting to an overall strength of approximately 1,400.<ref name="cavehill.uwi.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/belize/conference/papers/phillips.html|first=Dion E.|last=Phillips|title=The Military of Belize|date=2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211184053/http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/belize/conference/papers/phillips.html|archive-date=11 December 2012}}</ref> In 2005, the maritime wing became part of the Belizean Coast Guard.<ref name="ra_20071213">"Channel 5 Belize" (28 November 2005),{{cite web|url=http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=15230 |title=Belizean Coast Guard hits the high seas |access-date=26 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504030931/http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=15230 |archive-date=4 May 2011 }}</ref> In 2012, the Belizean government spent about $17 million on the military, constituting 1.08% of the country's [[gross domestic product]] (GDP).<ref name=CIAFactbookMilitary2019>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Belize|section=Military and Security|date=14 August 2019}}</ref>
After Belize achieved independence in 1981 the United Kingdom maintained a deterrent force (British Forces Belize) in the country to protect it from invasion by [[Guatemala]] (see [[Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory]]). During the 1980s this included a battalion and [[No. 1417 Flight RAF]] of Harriers. The main British force left in 1994, three years after Guatemala recognized Belizean independence, but the United Kingdom maintained a training presence via the British Army Training and Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and [[25 Flight AAC]] until 2011 when the last British Forces left Ladyville Barracks, with the exception of seconded advisers.<ref name="cavehill.uwi.edu" />

=== Administrative divisions ===
[[File:Belize, administrative divisions - en - monochrome.svg|right|thumb|Districts of Belize]]
Belize is divided into [[Districts of Belize|six districts]].
{{#section:Districts of Belize|list}}

These districts are further divided into [[Constituencies of Belize|31 constituencies]]. [[Local government in Belize]] comprises four types of local authorities: [[city council]]s, [[town council]]s, [[Town council|village councils]] and [[community council]]s. 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.<ref name="belgov">{{cite web |url=http://www.belize.gov.bz/ct.asp?xItem=705&ctNode=568&mp=27 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110720103724/http://www.belize.gov.bz/ct.asp?xItem=705&ctNode=568&mp=27 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |title=Local Government |url-status=dead |access-date=1 June 2016}}. Government of Belize. belize.gov.bz</ref>

===Guatemalan territorial dispute===

{{Main|Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute}}
Throughout Belize's history, Guatemala has [[Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute|claimed sovereignty]] over all or part of Belizean territory. This claim is occasionally reflected in maps drawn by Guatemala's government, showing Belize as Guatemala's [[Departments of Guatemala|twenty-third department]].<ref name=CIAFactbookTransnational2019 />{{efn|In April 2019, a media outlet showed video of Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales showing students how to draw Guatemala's map to include all of Belize, reflecting his country's claim.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff|url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2019/04/10/guatemalan-president-teaches-students-to-draw-guatemalan-map-with-belize-included/|title=Guatemalan President teaches students to draw Guatemalan map with Belize included|publisher=[[Breaking Belize News]]|location=[[San Ignacio, Belize]]|date=10 April 2019|access-date=10 April 2019|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410190312/https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2019/04/10/guatemalan-president-teaches-students-to-draw-guatemalan-map-with-belize-included/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The Guatemalan territorial claim involves approximately 53% of Belize's mainland, which includes significant portions of four districts: Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, and Toledo.<ref>"SATIIM launches Maya lands registry to celebrate UN Indigenous Peoples day". Breaking Belize News-The Leading Online News Source of Belize. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018. {{verify source |date=August 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted ([[Special:Diff/870604224]]) by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot in plain-text form. The original cite can be found at [[Special:Permalink/870603615]] cite #37 – please manually restore the original cite as the bot is unable fully due to technical limits (1). [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> Roughly 43% of the country's population (≈154,949 Belizeans) reside in this region.<ref>"Historic Legal Victory for Indigenous Peoples in Belize | Rights + Resources". Rights + Resources. Retrieved 24 October 2018. {{verify source |date=August 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted ([[Special:Diff/870604224]]) by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot in plain-text form. The original cite can be found at [[Special:Permalink/870603615]] cite #38 – please manually restore the original cite as the bot is unable fully due to technical limits (1). [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>

{{As of|2020}}, the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and contentious.<ref name=CIAFactbookTransnational2019>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Belize|section=Transnational Issues|date=14 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36114383|title=Belize-Guatemala border tensions rise over shooting – BBC News|date=22 April 2016|work=BBC News|access-date=11 September 2016|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417134210/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36114383|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/47/185.html|title=ACP-EU summit 2000|publisher=Hartford-hwp.com|access-date=29 August 2010|archive-date=24 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424031326/http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/47/185.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Guatemala's claim to Belizean territory rests, in part, on Clause VII of the [[Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty of 1859]], which obligated the British to build a road between Belize City and Guatemala. At various times, the issue has required mediation by the United Kingdom, [[Caribbean Community]] heads of government, the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS), Mexico, and the United States. On 15 April 2018, Guatemala's government held a referendum to determine if the country should take its [[Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute|territorial claim on Belize]] to the [[International Court of Justice]] (ICJ) to settle the long-standing issue. Guatemalans voted 95%<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/insights/27884/territorial-dispute-between-belize-and-guatemala-who-is-likely-to-prevail|title=Why Belize Is Likely to Prevail in Its Territorial Dispute With Guatemala|website=www.worldpoliticsreview.com|date=23 May 2019|access-date=22 January 2020|archive-date=12 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412124347/https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/insights/27884/territorial-dispute-between-belize-and-guatemala-who-is-likely-to-prevail|url-status=live}}</ref> yes on the matter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/news/boundary_news/?itemno=34541|title=Belize to hold a referendum on Guatemala territorial dispute – Durham University|website=www.dur.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=24 October 2018|archive-date=12 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412124347/https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/news/boundary_news/?itemno=34541|url-status=live}}</ref> A similar referendum was to be held in Belize on 10 April 2019, but a court ruling led to its postponement.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff|url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2019/04/10/icj-referendum-postponed-until-further-notice/|title=ICJ Referendum postponed until further notice|publisher=[[Breaking Belize News]]|location=[[San Ignacio, Belize]]|date=10 April 2019|access-date=10 April 2019|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417141717/https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2019/04/10/icj-referendum-postponed-until-further-notice/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- cites previous 2 sentences --> The referendum was held on 8 May 2019, and 55.4% of voters opted to send the matter to the ICJ.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belize-referendum-guatemala-border-idUSKCN1SF1QT|title=Belizeans vote to ask U.N. court to settle Guatemala border dispute|first=Jose|last=Sanchez|newspaper=Reuters|date=9 May 2019|via=www.reuters.com|access-date=13 May 2021|archive-date=17 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417100939/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belize-referendum-guatemala-border-idUSKCN1SF1QT|url-status=live}}</ref>

Both countries submitted requests to the ICJ (in 2018 and 2019, respectively) and the ICJ ordered Guatemala's initial brief be submitted by December 2020 and Belize's response by 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Extension of the time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/177/177-20200424-PRE-01-00-EN.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/177/177-20200424-PRE-01-00-EN.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |website=International Court of Justice |access-date=10 October 2020 |date=24 April 2020}}</ref> On 7 June 2023, the stage of written submissions ended, with the next step being oral arguments from each country's legal teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowo |first=Janelle |date=2023-06-08 |title=Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute case moving to oral hearings at the ICJ |url=https://www.sanpedrosun.com/community-and-society/2023/06/08/belize-guatemala-territorial-dispute-case-moving-to-oral-hearings-at-the-icj/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=The San Pedro Sun |language=en |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117193943/https://www.sanpedrosun.com/community-and-society/2023/06/08/belize-guatemala-territorial-dispute-case-moving-to-oral-hearings-at-the-icj/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Indigenous land claims===

Belize backed the [[Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples|United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples]] in 2007, which established legal land rights to indigenous groups.<ref name="Cultural Survival">{{Cite news|url=https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/full-participation-belizes-indigenous-people-crucial-achieving-sustainable-development-goals|title=The Full Participation of Belize's Indigenous People is Crucial to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals|website=Cultural Survival|date=18 July 2017|access-date=23 October 2018|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531225314/https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/full-participation-belizes-indigenous-people-crucial-achieving-sustainable-development-goals|url-status=live}}</ref> Other court cases have affirmed these rights like the [[Supreme Court of Belize]]'s 2013 decision to uphold its ruling in 2010 that acknowledges customary land titles as communal land for indigenous peoples.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://rightsandresources.org/en/blog/historic-legal-victory-for-indigenous-peoples-in-belize/|title=Historic Legal Victory for Indigenous Peoples in Belize {{!}} Rights + Resources|work=Rights + Resources|access-date=23 October 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023195834/https://rightsandresources.org/en/blog/historic-legal-victory-for-indigenous-peoples-in-belize/|archive-date=23 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another such case is the [[Caribbean Court of Justice]]'s (CCJ) 2015 order on the Belizean government, which stipulated that the country develop a land registry to classify and exercise traditional governance over Mayan lands. Despite these rulings, Belize has made little progress to support the land rights of indigenous communities; for instance, in the two years after the CCJ's decision, Belize's government failed to launch the Mayan land registry, prompting the group to take action into its own hands.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2017/08/09/satiim-launches-maya-lands-registry-celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day/|title=SATIIM launches Maya lands registry to celebrate UN Indigenous Peoples day|date=9 August 2017|work=Breaking Belize News-The Leading Online News Source of Belize|access-date=24 October 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=23 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023201717/https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2017/08/09/satiim-launches-maya-lands-registry-celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://rightsandresources.org/en/blog/historic-legal-victory-for-indigenous-peoples-in-belize/|title=Historic Legal Victory for Indigenous Peoples in Belize {{!}} Rights + Resources|work=Rights + Resources|access-date=24 October 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023195834/https://rightsandresources.org/en/blog/historic-legal-victory-for-indigenous-peoples-in-belize/|archive-date=23 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The exact ramifications of these cases need to be examined. {{as of|2017}}, Belize still struggles to recognize indigenous populations and their respective rights. According to the 50-page voluntary national report Belize created on its progress toward the [[Sustainable Development Goals|UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals]], indigenous groups are not factored into the country's indicators whatsoever.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16389Belize.pdf |title=Belize's Voluntary National Review For the Sustainable Development Goals 2017 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=9 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725030247/https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16389Belize.pdf |archive-date=25 July 2018 }}</ref> Belize's Maya population is only mentioned once in the entirety of the report.<ref name="Cultural Survival" />