Municipal Elections Weeks Away! 6 Interesting Facts about Elections in Belize

As you step foot pretty much anywhere on Ambergris Caye, you’ll notice that political flags ARE EVERYWHERE! There’s a good reason: Municipal Elections, voting for the Mayor and the Town Council, take place on March 6th. Not just in San Pedro but in towns and villages around the country.

Belize has 7 towns and hundreds of villages. Can you name the 2 cities and 7 towns? Answers at the end of this post.

On utility poles, fluttering from home and golf carts, you can’t look anywhere without seeing a political flag.

Yesterday was Nomination Day – somewhat similar to the Party Conventions in the USA – where the candidates officially register to run for the Town Council.

In San Pedro, like many events in Belize, it involves music and dancing, people dressed in the party colors and blowing horns. It’s a rally to bring your candidate to the official spot to register to run.

Here are my pictures from the PUP rally that I ran into in the morning. I didn’t see the UDP rally in the afternoon – I was trying to get out of town after some quick errands. Rallies = traffic!

There are two main political parties in Belize – the United Democratic Party or the UDP, the red party – and Peoples’ United Party or the PUP, the blue party.

And municipal elections are held every 3 years and the mayor can hold office for up to 3 terms.

As the country stands now, the PUP is the incumbent party in Belize with Johnny Briceno as Prime Minster, elected in 2020. At the same time, the PUP won 26 of 31 seats in the House of Representatives. (Holy super majority!)

San Pedro is also PUP with Mayor Wally Nunez (who is running again for the PUP on March 6)

The incumbent party’s flag. The People’s United Party. Top half blue, bottom half white.

The challengers: United Democratic Party.  The 6 dots stand for the 6 districts of Belize:  Orange Walk, Corozal, Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, Toledo.

I have witnessed a few Belizean elections in my 15+ years as a resident and many more in the USA…and each can be exciting for different reasons…

In the US, actual voting is generally an individual, more solemn affair.  Campaigning is not allowed within a certain distance of the polling station.  On election day, most of the action and results are viewed on TV often in the evening into the later night. And it can take time…

Here in Belize, rallying, campaigning, parading…they all take place around the polling station (we have two polling stations) – it’s actually a pretty exciting day.   When you go to vote, it’s like you are walking into a festival area.

Festive, yes but NO DRINKING. There is no

Here are some interesting things to me about elections in my beloved Belize. (THE MOST EXCITING THING IS THAT…as a new citizen, I am now registered to vote! My first time to have an official say in local affairs)

1.  In almost all areas, you vote by inking your finger and voting with your fingerprint.   It is a 100% in-person, one-day-only affair.

• The process is:
  – enter voting room. give your id card for your name to be called and found on their list that you are to vote in that area.
  – once verified, then go to the next person who will ask you to dip your right index finger up to the first joint into the ink
  – once done, you then get your ballot paper
  – that paper has the signature of the one supervising the voting.
  – so you go, then put your “X” with the pencil next to the names.
  – fold the paper with the signature of the one that provided it showing.
  – show them that it is folded and the signature is visible, then put in ballot box.

I wonder if the purple is a mix of the two parties’ colors.

2.  Last minute influence attempting is a big part of it.  The parties set up booths, flags, snacks, organizers, influencers, blasting music as close to the polling area as they can. 

In San Pedro, it all happens at the High School or at the RC School in the middle of town.  Parties even set up giant ballots to make sure you KNOW who they want you to vote for.

3.  Like the British system, the National elections must be called and can be held at any time of year.  Town and city elections are scheduled for the first Wed in March of every third year

National Elections – the National Assembly is dissolved under the advice of the Prime Minister and elections must take place within 3 months (a minimum of one month).  So elections can be any time of the year. This keeps the campaigning to just a few months…thank goodness! The US systems of 1 year campaigns (or longer) can be draining!

The timing is carefully strategized.  Does the other party seem disorganized?  Has there just been a huge scandal on their side?  Has your party done something popular?  Might be a good time to call elections.

4.  The winner is in and the loser is out.  Immediately.  Unlike the US system where there is a pass-over/transition period (peaceful we hope) – in Belize, the winner is in the next day.  And the parading ensues

5.  To vote, you must be a citizen of Belize but…  

For an American in Belize – that requires 5 years as a permanent resident living in the country – and then you can apply for your dual citizenship.  BUT if you are a resident of a commonwealth country (from Canada to South Africa to Ghana to India) and residing in Belize for 12 months or more, you can register to vote.

Here is how I became a citizen of Belize last August. I moved here in 2007, I became a resident in early 2011. And I was eligible to apply for citizenship in 2016. But didn’t get my application together and sent off until October 2022.

6.  Election Day is a national holiday.  And there is no alcohol served or sold this day.    At least until the votes are counted.  (This was the law in most of the USA years ago – and is still true only in certain parts of Alaska and Puerto Rico)

Alcohol sales resume when the votes are counted. (Usually

There are no firearms allowed at polling stations – which should be obvious in my book – but apparently, it’s not a given. 

So there it is…elections will be on March 6th. You can expect lots of flags and people in party tee shirts driving around town over the next few weeks. Good luck to both parties! And I’ll see you at the polls.

Belize’s 2 cities: Belize City and Belmopan, our capital

Belize’s 7 towns: Benque Viejo del Carmen, Corozal Town, Dangriga, Orange Walk Town, Punta Gorda, San Ignacio, and San Pedro.