Politics of Belize takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby King Charles III serves as head of state and the prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Belize.
Alcalde is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town. Alcaldes were elected annually, without the right to reelection for two or three years, by the regidores of the municipal council. The office of the alcalde was signified by a staff of office, which they were to take with them when doing their business. A woman who holds the office is termed an Alcaldesa.
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Elections in Belize are the duly held elections held at various levels of government in the nation of Belize.
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council,town council, town board, community council, rural council,village council, or board of aldermen.
Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) is a political party established in December 2005 in the Cayo District of Belize. It first contested municipal elections in the capital city of Belmopan on 1 March 2006, receiving 20 percent of votes cast but none of the seven seats. VIP operates primarily in Belmopan, but also has a presence in the Belize and Corozal Districts.
A series of municipal elections were held on March 1, 1999, and March 1, 2000, to fill seats in the various town councils and city councils in Belize. It was the last Belize City council election held independently of the town boards, and also the last in which a nine-member council was elected. Sixty-five seats were available, of which the ruling People's United Party won sixty and the United Democratic Party won five.
A municipal election was held in Belize on 4 March 2009. Voters elected sixty seven representatives, eighteen in city councils and forty nine in town councils.
General elections were held in Belize on 7 February 2008. Beginning with this election, Belizeans elected 31 members to the House of Representatives of Belize instead of 29. In what was considered an upset, the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) won the election with 25 out of 31 seats; the ruling People's United Party won six.
A series of local government elections were held in Belize in 1996–97. They were held respectively on March 18, 1996 for the Belize city municipal seats and March 11, 1997.
A series of municipal elections were held in Belize within a period of twelve months in 1993–94, sandwiching a general election.
Local elections were held in the country of Belize in two parts in 1989 and 1991. Part one was the Belize City Council election held on December 6, 1989, in which the newly elected People's United Party swept all nine seats in Belize City. Part two came more than a year later on March 25, 1991 with municipal elections in the district towns. Here the PUP won 35 of 49 seats, while the UDP won the remaining fourteen.
His Majesty's Government in Belize, also referred to as the Belizean Government is the democratic administrative authority of Belize, a constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. It was formed in 1981 after gaining sovereignty from the United Kingdom. The constitution is the supreme law of Belize.
Local government in Belize consists of four types of local authorities: city councils, town councils, village councils and community councils. Some rural communities also have an alcalde, a local magistrate who performs both administrative and judicial functions.
General elections were held in Belize on 4 November 2015 to elect members of the House of Representatives. On 28 September 2015 Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that he had advised the Governor-General to dissolve the National Assembly and to fix Wednesday 4 November 2015 as the date for the next general elections.
Municipal elections were held in Belize on 4 March 2015. Voters elected 67 representatives, 18 on city councils and 49 on town councils. The elections were a decisive victory for the ruling United Democratic Party, which won 62 out of the 67 seats nationwide. The opposition People's United Party won the remaining seats, losing control of town councils in Dangriga and Punta Gorda, maintaining a majority only in Orange Walk Town.
Municipal elections were held in Belize on 7 March 2012 at the same time as the Belizean general election. The United Democratic Party (UDP) won six municipalities, while the People's United Party (PUP) won three municipalities.
Municipal elections were held in Belize on 7 March 2018. Voters elected a total 67 representatives. This includes a mayor in each of the nine communities, 42 town councils and 16 city councillors. The elections saw the People's United Party approach local parity with the ruling United Democratic Party. In 2015, the UDP won 62 out of the 67 seats nationwide, with the opposition People's United Party won the remaining seats. In 2018, the UDP won 41 seats, with the PUP picking up the remaining 26. The PUP gained complete council control of Belize City and Corozal Town, picked up a council seat in Dangriga, and regained complete control of the Orange Walk Town council. The Belize Progressive Party had 13 councillor candidates in three elections, and mayoral candidates in those three elections as well as in San Ignacio/Santa Elena. There were also seven independent candidates for mayor.
Municipal elections were held in Belize on 3 March 2021. Voters elected a total 67 representatives. This includes a mayor in each of the nine communities, 42 town councils and 16 city councillors. This election saw another historic consecutive landslide victory for the People's United Party which won all 9 municipalities and 65 of the 67 municipal seats with the United Democratic Party (UDP) losing 38 municipal seats and only managing to hold on to two. This election took place a few months after the PUP's historic 2020 Belizean general election victory.
