PM Briceño Wants a Year to Review Constitution Report

Prime Minister John Briceño is asking for more time—twelve months, to be exact—to review the long-awaited report from the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC). That’s a big jump from the sixty days currently allowed under the PCC Act. The commission is expected to hand over its final report on May twenty-sixth, which means, under current rules, the PM would have until late July to bring it to the National Assembly for debate. But Briceño says that’s not enough time to properly go through such a critical document. If parliament agrees with the recommendations, the next step could be a national referendum. However, there’s a catch: according to the Minister of Constitution and Indigenous Affairs, holding a referendum so soon after a general election—and in the same year as village council elections—just isn’t financially realistic. The big question now is whether Belizeans will have to wait even longer for constitutional reform—and whether the delay will cool the momentum for change.

 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Constitution and Indigenous Affairs

“There are some reasons for militating against the tabling before the National Assembly with the possible consequence of holding and conducting a national referendum within less than nine months after the holding of a general election. These are time needed for the government and stakeholders to conduct serious and proper analysis, and deliberation of the recommendations. Secondly, the considerable financial expenditure and human resources that will be required to conduct a referendum only months after the national assembly and public service had to expend and deploy financial and human resources on a similar scale, third the holding of village council elections from May to August 2025, and possible consequential voter fatigue.”

 

We will wait to see what the Senate has to say about this request.