Belize’s Electoral Map Leaves Thousands Underrepresented

Last month, new voter registration figures reignited concerns over Belize’s long-delayed redistricting process, revealing vast disparities in representation between Belize City and some of the country’s largest constituencies. While Belize City’s nearly forty-one thousand electors are represented by ten area representatives, four of the country’s largest electoral divisions, with a combined forty-two thousand voters, have only four. Some argue the imbalance runs contrary to the Constitution’s requirement that electoral divisions contain an equal, or nearly equal as possible, number of electors. With the government-mandated redistricting exercise still incomplete, social activist Jeremy Enriquez is calling for immediate action before the disparities grow even wider.

 

Jerry Enriquez, Social Activist

“September 2026 is that the total number of electors is two hundred and twelve thousand  persons of which a little under forty-one thousand are in Belize City, and the rest, one hundred anse seventy-one thousand plus, are in the other constituencies. So what we have is an average size of electors should be about six hundred eight hundred and thirty-nine for each electoral division, give or take ten to fifteen percent.  Belize City on average has far below what is required for a viable electoral division, which should be six thousand eight hundred plus. But Belize City on average has four thousand. So two thousand less as an average in Belize City, and that is a, a startling view of the disproportionate, um, representation that we have. Also the four largest electoral divisions, Belmopan being the largest at over eleven thousand. Stann Creek, Belize Rural South, Stann Creek West, and Toledo East are the four largest electoral divisions. Toledo East, um, Punta Gorda, part of it of which I’m from. These four largest electoral  divisions have over forty-two thousand electors and are represented by four electoral divisions, while Belize City has less and are represented by ten area representatives. So that’s something has got to be wrong with that. The deviation of near sixty-two percent in our country is totally unacceptable, one of the worst in the Americas.”

 

Enriquez argues that underrepresented constituencies make it harder to effectively advocate for constituents and distribute resources fairly, contrary to the Constitution’s requirement for balanced representation.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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