List of House of Representatives constituencies of Belize
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The House of Representatives of Belize is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of Belize,[1] a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America.[2] It was created under the 1981 constitution and is seated at Belmopan, the capital. The country has a two-party system dominated by the People's United Party and the United Democratic Party. The government has been formed by one of these parties after every election since independence.[3]: 143 [4]
House of Representatives of Belize | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 5 years |
| Seats | 31 |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | March 2025 |
| Meeting place | |
| |
| National Assembly Building at Independence Hill, Belmopan, Belize | |
| Website | |
| National Assembly of Belize | |
Belize, then known as British Honduras, had a short lived Legislative Assembly from 1854 to 1871. This was reinstated in 1935 but was made up of only nominated members. Later, in 1954, the colony held its first general election for the assembly. British Honduras gained full self-government and a new constitution was passed in 1963. The Legislative Assembly was renamed to the National Assembly, which comprised two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. In 1981, Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom under a new constitution. The number of elected members of the House of Representatives increased from 18 to 28.[5]
The constituencies of the House of Representatives are redistricted "from time to time" to ensure that their voting populations are as equal as possible, as required by the constitution.[6] Since 2008, the country is divided into 31 single-member constituencies, each of which elects their representative for a five-year term[7] under the first-past-the-post system.[8][9] The minimum age for voting in Belize is 18, but voting is not compulsory.[9] The next redistricting has been mandated by the Cabinet of Belize to take place by April 2026.[10][needs update]
History
| Year | Event | Constituencies | Election(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Belize gained its independence from the United Kingdom under a new constitution.[5] | 28 | 1984[11] and 1989[12] |
| 1993 | Boundary redistricting. One constituency (Belize Rural Central) was added.[13] | 29 | 1993,[14] 1998[15] and 2003[16] |
| 2004 | Boundary redistricting. Two constituencies (Belmopan and Cayo North East) were added.[17]: 3 | 31 | 2008,[18] 2012,[19] 2015,[20] 2020[21] and 2025[22] |
Constituencies
