Belize - Politics

The 1993 election was won by the United Democratic Party (UDP) in coalition with the National Alliance for Belizean Rights, a new party which was formed after five members left the UDP in 1992 following disagreements over the negotiations with Guatemala. Together they received 49% of the votes, securing 16 of the 29 seats; the UDP’s Manuel Esquivel was now prime minister.

George Price of the defeated People’s United Party (PUP) announced his retirement in October 1996, and was replaced by Said Musa at the party convention in November 1996. In the general election in August 1998, the opposition PUP won a resounding victory and Said Musa became prime minister. With 59% of the votes, the PUP took 26 of the 29 seats in the House of Representatives. With 39% of the votes, the ruling UDP took only three seats and Esquivel handed over the party leadership to Dean Barrow.

For the first time since independence, the ruling party was returned to power in the March 2003 general election. The PUP, under Said Musa, took 22 seats to the UDP’s seven, with 53% of the votes.

In January 2005, the government increased tax rates on commodities and property and riots broke out. Civil unrest continued until April with trade unions and government opponents demanding Musa’s resignation. This and allegations of corruption in the PUP government proved decisive in the subsequent elections.

The February 2008 general election resulted in a landslide victory for the opposition UDP, which won 25 seats to the ruling PUP’s six. UDP leader Barrow became the country’s first prime minister of African descent.

Relations with Guatemala: After 1986, and a change of government in Guatemala, relations between the two countries improved and in 1991 Guatemala recognised Belizean sovereignty, Belize joined the Organization of American States (OAS) and diplomatic relations between Belize and Guatemala were established.

The new rapprochement seemed at risk when in 1993 the Guatemalan president was ousted; though the new president announced that Guatemala would continue to respect the independence of Belize. In January 1994 responsibility for defence was transferred to the Belize Defence Force and later that year the UK withdrew most of its 1,500-strong garrison. In March 1994, however, Guatemala renounced its earlier agreements and formally reaffirmed its claim to the territory of Belize. A tense period ensued during which Belize continued to receive strong support from the Caribbean Community and the Commonwealth.

It was thus not until February 1997 that an ambassador was sent to Guatemala City, opening the way for a diplomatic resolution of the dispute. The two countries embarked, through the good offices of the OAS, on a peace process leading, in September 2005, to agreement on a framework for negotiations to resolve the dispute and confidence-building measures. Included in this agreement was a mechanism, should the parties fail to reach agreement in negotiations, to allow recourse to an international judicial body.