Redistricting Decision Pushed to 2025

The High Court has postponed a decision on the Belize Peace Movement’s (BPM) legal redistricting challenge, which seeks to ensure redistricting is completed before the scheduled 2025 General Elections, until early 2025, according to documents provided to The Reporter by the Claimants.

The court order stipulates that the Defendants, represented by the Assistant Solicitor General, must file their responses by December 18, 2024. Following this, both parties are required to exchange written submissions addressing the applicability of previous related rulings by January 13, 2025. These submissions will include arguments on whether the application should proceed in light of past consent orders and subsequent enforcement rulings.

Of Belize's 31 electoral divisions, only a handful of constituencies fit within the expected threshold.

The BPM’s claim asserts that the existing electoral boundaries, some of which have voter disparities of over 300%, undermine constitutional principles of fair representation. The Claimants seek judicial declarations to delay the General Elections until the redistricting process ensures more equitable voter distribution. They argue that malapportionment violates the "one person, one vote" standard enshrined in Section 90 of Belize’s Constitution.

The timeline set by the court effectively pushes the matter’s resolution into the new year, leaving the fate of the 2025 General Elections uncertain.

At the core of the case is Section 90 of the Constitution, which mandates near equality in voter numbers across divisions. The BPM contends that the Elections and Boundaries Commission has neglected its duty to ensure compliance, citing deviations that exceed the 1.5 times threshold historically upheld. The claim further underscores the historical precedence of stricter standards, which the BPM asserts are still implied under constitutional law.

The BPM seeks judicial declarations that the 2025 elections cannot proceed under the current boundaries. Their filing also requests the court to expedite hearings, given the urgency of the matter with elections less than a year away. Claimants include BPM members Paul Morgan and William Maheia, who emphasize the broad societal impact of electoral fairness.