Prime Minister John Briceno announces date for general elections
BELMOPAN, Tues. Feb. 11, 2025
Flanked by the People’s United Party’s other 30 standard bearers, the PUP leader and Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño announced the date for the next general elections as Wednesday, March 12. The announcement was made a few minutes before 11:00 a.m. via live broadcast on Facebook and lasted just shy of four minutes. There had been significant speculation that the announcement would have been made at the February 7th House Meeting, but political pundits opined that this would not be in line with prevailing practice. When the PM made no declaration at the House Meeting, the speculation started that it would be done at the Party’s National Convention scheduled for Sunday, February 16, at the Belize City Civic Center.
PM advises Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam to dissolve Parliament
Notably, by the time the Prime Minister made the reveal today, he, the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Cordel Hyde; Foreign Minister, Hon. Francis Fonseca; Attorney General, Hon. Anthony Sylvester, Jr.; and Ambassador Jaime Briceño had already been to the Office of the Governor General, where the Prime Minister handed over a letter advising her to dissolve the National Assembly and issue a proclamation for the holding of the general elections. By the time an Elections and Boundaries Department release went out at 3:42 p.m. today, it revealed that the Governor General had already issued the writs of election.
PM Briceño opened his long-anticipated announcement reiterating the recurrent declaration that they have presided over the successful turnaround of the Belizean economy since they took power on November 12, 2020. He listed accomplishments in social services, infrastructure, housing, education, health, land ownership and others. He added that the unprecedented results were “delivered without any new taxes.” He then declared, “Plan Belize is making good on its pledge to national transformation. With this sterling report card in hand, and after careful reflection and prayer, I have decided that now is the appropriate time to seek from you a renewal of our electoral mandate.”
The election is being held a full 8 months early with 29 days’ notice. Nomination Day will be Monday, February 24. Only those voters who were registered by January 10, 2025, will be able to vote in this election. The Prime Minister encouraged all Belizeans to vote. He also made a pitch for another vote of confidence in the PUP. He declared, “When you consider crucial factors, such as performance, qualification, stability, character, and the political parties’ state of readiness, I sincerely believe that our People’s United Party, our 31 candidates and our Plan Belize are clearly worthy of your vote.”
For those who question what happens between now and when another parliament is appointed, the Constitution states at Section 84 (6), “During the period between the dissolution of the National Assembly and the appointment of a Prime Minister after a general election, the government of Belize shall continue to be administered by the Prime Minister and the other Ministers and Ministers of State of the Government.”
The Minister of Home Affairs has declared the day of the election as a public and bank holiday to encourage voters to exercise their rights and to deter employers from preventing their staff to go out and vote, which has been a recurring complaint.