BELIZE CITY, Sun. Mar. 13, 2022– A special sitting of the House of Representatives, at which the 2022-2023 budget will be presented, is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. On Friday, the Office of the Clerk released a public notice announcing a reopening of one of the public galleries, with a limited seating capacity of 24 persons. Persons who desire to attend the sitting will have to ensure that they are vaccinated, have an ID card, and arrive very early, since persons will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Any item that is included on a list of prohibited items that has been a part of the protocol for House entry, will not be allowed inside the chambers. Any legal prohibited item will be held by officers upon inspection. And, of course, sanitization, wearing of face masks and physical distancing will all be required of those who sit inside the chambers of parliament.

Reports are that Alberto August, whom the chairman of the United Democratic Party has referred to as “UDP chairman for life”, attempted, as a private citizen, to stage a protest at the steps of the National Assembly during Tuesday’s House meeting, but his request for permission to do so, which was sent in a letter to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, was reportedly rejected by the COMPOL, who reportedly cited COVID-19 regulations as the reason for his refusal to grant such a permit. Reports are that the UDP has not decided to organize any protests at this time, so his attempt was an independent effort.

Of note, it is expected that the Government of Belize will include a $1.5 million payment to the stevedores of the Port of Belize in the budget and will thus seek to obtain parliamentary approval for the disbursement prior to the hearing of a lawsuit brought by the Port of Belize that is based on a claim that parliamentary approval was not given for the payment. That case is scheduled to go to court on Wednesday, March 16.