Belize’s Constitution Review Moves Forward

Belize’s long-awaited People’s Constitution Commission (PCC) report was finally laid before the National Assembly today. It comes almost four years after the commission was established to guide the process of constitutional reform.

Prime Minister John Briceño confirmed the report contains 167 original recommendations, narrowed to 53 fully constitutional recommendations following review by an external expert committee led by King’s Counsel Edward Fitzgerald. The PCC Act required this step by May of this year. Those 53 recommendations underwent further review by the Attorney General’s ministry. 

Briceño said the constitutional experts assessed each recommendation against eight criteria, including governance, fundamental rights, durability, legitimacy, and whether courts could enforce it without becoming policymakers.  

The next step could eventually be a referendum, as provided for under the PCC Act. But Belizeans will first have several months to examine the proposals.

Prime Minister John Briceño said the government plans to launch a public awareness campaign before the recommendations return to the National Assembly.

“Before we put such a result before the National Assembly, it seems sensible that the government engages in a public awareness campaign on these recommendations of the PCC. Again, all the recommendations cannot be taken on board,” Briceño said. “This consultation process will allow the public a mechanism to review and analyse recommendations and to analyse the government’s rationale and recommendations and thus allow government to receive further feedback from the public.” 

He expects the process to take six to eight months.

Briceño urged Belizeans to study the PCC report and take part in the upcoming consultation.

“I encourage all Belizeans to assess and review the PCC reports with its recommendations, so that over the next months as government engages in awareness campaigns you participate in a sober and responsible manner,” Briceño stated.