Enriquez Scores Big as CCJ Revives Case on Unequal Electoral Boundaries

The Caribbean Court of Justice has jolted Belize’s election‑fairness debate, delivering a big win for activist Jeremy Enriquez and Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan. On March twenty‑third, the CCJ reinstated their appeals, previously thrown out by the Court of Appeal on a technicality. Enriquez first challenged Belize’s electoral boundaries in February 2025, arguing they violate the Constitution’s promise of equal representation. His push to delay the general elections went nowhere. Justice Tawanda Hondora rejected the injunction and hit Ramlogan with a rare personal “wasted costs” order, sparking accusations of judicial misconduct. The Court of Appeal later said the duo filed their appeals too early and struck them out. But the CCJ bluntly disagreed. The judges ruled that technical timing shouldn’t block access to justice and tossed out the costs order against Ramlogan, calling it unjustified. It’s a major turnaround in a case that’s now as much about fairness in the courtroom as it is about fairness at the polls. Earlier today, Jeremy Enriquez told us what this decision means for the fight to ensure every Belizean vote counts equally.

 

Jeremy Enriquez, Social Activist

“I have committed myself to be in this for the long haul. The end goal is that we want to see our electoral division aligned in accordance with the constitution and I have my eyes fixed on that. All these technicalities serve as hurdles and barriers, but we keep crossing them hoping to see that we achieve fair electoral divisions in Belize. So, I am committed to that. It has been quite a struggle, as Senior Counsel Ramlogan mentioned, it also involves a lot of financial resources that we have to get for filing, for travelling up and down, for attorney fees. In fact, SC has been doing this without any compensation thus far, taking on this for a long time. We have managed with little support from the public and I am grateful for that and but I will encourage people to support this cause for the benefit of the country.”

 

Key Redistricting Meeting Set as PM Briceno Calls CCJ Judgment ‘Academic’

 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Briceño is brushing off the Caribbean Court of Justice’s latest ruling in the Jeremy Enriquez redistricting case, calling it mostly academic at this stage. The CCJ reaffirmed that Belize’s electoral boundaries urgently need updating, an issue tied up in lawsuits and public debate for years. But Briceño says the government is already moving. He notes that the redistricting effort is underway, with a key review meeting set for next week as the administration pushes to meet its own end‑of‑year deadline.

 

Shane Williams

“The CCJ ruling on the Jeremy Enriquez case, in terms of the redistricting. Is it a mute point because the government is already planning to proceed with that?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I’ve not seen the report, but I think it’s. At this point, you’re right. It’s mute because we are already working on the redistricting, and I’m still pushing. I’m going, I should have a meeting with Minister Musa on Monday to get an update as to how is it going so that we can ensure that we can keep our timeline, that we hope that can be finished by the end of this year.”

 

Senior Counsel Explains What’s Next in Elections Case

 

We also heard from Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, the man who has been driving this legal fight side‑by‑side with Jeremy Enriquez from day one. Ramlogan broke down what the CCJ’s ruling really means and where the case goes from here. Here’s how he explained the impact and the road ahead.

 

Anand Ramlogan, SC, Attorney-at-law

“The Court of Appeal struck out and dismissed all the appeals we filed. We filed an appeal against the refusal to grant the injunction. We filed an appeal against the wasted cost order. We filed an appeal against the wasted cost order. And we filed an appeal against the judgment he delivered in the bias application without giving anyone an opportunity to be heard. The court struck out all three on technical grounds raised by the attorneys representing the Attorney General and the Election and Boundaries Commission. It was under those circumstances we had no choice but to appeal to the CCJ. We applied for special leave and to our great surprise and delight the CCJ said it would treat the application for special leave as the hearing of the appeal on an urgent basis. Those appeals were heard. Mr. Peter Knox, King’s Counsel represented me and I represented Mr. Enriquez on the other two appeals. Today I a pleased to announced that mere weeks after the hearing the CCJ has issued orders allowing two of the appeals. They have allowed the appeal to grant the injunction and with respect to wasted cost against me. The appeal in respect to the bias matter they have remitted that to the judge for him to decide.”

 

CCJ Decision Reframes High‑Stakes Redistricting Fight

 

So, what does this latest CCJ victory actually mean for Jeremy Enriquez’s push to get the Briceño administration moving fast on redistricting? On paper, the rulings clear several major hurdles that were holding back his case. But in practice, the finish line might not be as far off as it seems. Prime Minister John Briceño has already said his government intends to complete the redistricting exercise before the end of the year. If that timeline holds, the legal showdown Enriquez has been fighting could shift from a constitutional battle to a question of political will. That raises the real question, was this entire legal war a necessary push for electoral fairness, or does it now feel like a high‑stakes procedural fight that may end up being more academic than transformative?

 

Anand Ramlogan, SC, Attorney-at-law

“Well, it does take us closer. It takes us a step closer to have our day in court to ventilate this matter. At the end of the day, the wisdom of the judgement from the CCJ will have a radiating an illuminating effect on the substantive battle that we are about to embark upon. It is a fact and a complaint we have that the justice system seems to be plagued by a sense of lethargy and efficiency that it should not be moving as quick as it should. So we share that concern and I do so openly. In my respectful view, no justice system should have judgments reserved for more than six months. An application should be listed within a month of being filed and it should be determined within three months to six months of being filed. We have been waiting for six months in the matter with the Belize Peace Movement.”

 

Either way, the CCJ’s decisions have reshaped the playing field. Now all eyes are on whether the government’s promise turns into action, and whether Enriquez believes the momentum is finally swinging his way.

 

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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