| Parliament name |
National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name |
House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Senate
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
4 November 2015 |
| Purpose of elections |
Prime Minister Dean Barrow's United Democratic Party (UDP) won a third consecutive term in office, defeating the People's United Party (PUP) led by Mr. Francis Fonseca. The snap elections were held more than a year before they were constitutionally due.
In April 2015, the National Assembly passed an amendment to the PetroCaribe Loans Act (see note). The PUP vowed to repeal the Act, arguing the legislation would limit parliamentary oversight over the PetroCaribe programme. In September, Prime Minister Barrow called the snap elections amid speculation that opposition forces would win parliamentary elections in Venezuela and perhaps put an end to PetroCaribe.
Note:
PetroCaribe is a Venezuelan aid programme that offers fuel at discounted prices, agreed between Belize and Venezuela in 2005. Since 2012, the Barrow administration has finalized major infrastructure projects with the money from the programme.
|
Date of previous elections: 7 March 2012
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 28 September 2015
Timing of election: Early elections
Expected date of next elections: November 2020
Number of seats at stake: 31 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 90 (80 men, 10 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 11.1%
Number of parties contesting the election: 4
Number of parties winning seats: 2
Alternation of power: No
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: United Democratic Party (UDP)
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 13 November 2015
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Michael Peyrefitte (United Democratic Party, UDP) |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 4 November 2015 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
196'587
142'900 (72.69%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| United Democratic Party (UDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| People's United Party (PUP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| United Democratic Party (UDP) |
19
|
|
|
|
|
| People's United Party (PUP) |
12
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
29
2
6.45%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Two women were elected in 2015.
Ms. Laura Tucker-Longsworth, who was not among the 31 directly elected members, was elected Speaker in January 2017, replacing Mr. Michael Peyrefitte. She became a member of parliament by virtue of holding the office of Speaker. The number of women has therefore increased to three.
Sources :
http://www.nationalassembly.gov.bz
http://www.elections.gov.bz/modules/article_publish/files/files_5751dbfccc313.pdf
http://www.petrocaribe.bz/services-view/key-agreements/
http://www.reuters.com
http://www.guardian.bz/
http://www.sanpedrosun.com/ |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
