Constituencies of Belize
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Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

's 6 districts are politically divided into 31 constituencies. Each constituency sends one representative to Belize's House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Belize
The House of Representatives of Belize is one of two chambers of the National Assembly, the other being the Senate. It was created under the 1981 constitution....

 for 5-year terms. This election is known as the General Election. Each person (who is eligible to vote) votes for the candidate they would want to represent their constituency in Central Government. Each political party nominates a candidate, or Standard Bearer, for each constituency. The winner becomes the Area Representative of the constituency, while the loser generally remains the Standard Bearer of that constituency for his/her political party.

Division of constituencies

Belize's constituencies are divided in such a way that their voting population be as equal as possible to each other ensuring, theoretically, that resources are equally shared among the country's citizens, as required by the constitution. After the 2003 General Elections two additional constituencies were created from territory of existing constituencies in order to further ensure the equality of the voting populations among the constituencies. Coming out of January 2008(January 2008 Estimate), the most populous constituency (Stann Creek West) had a voting population of 7,085 while the least populous constituency (Fort George) had a voting population of 3,195.

New constituencies

In Belize's 2003 General Elections, 29 constituencies voted in their Area Representatives for Belize's House of Representatives. Since then it was noted that the difference in voting populations between the most and least populous constituencies was rather large (Cayo South then had 8,000 voters compared to Pickstock's 1000+). In 2004 a Task Force was appointed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission
Elections and Boundaries Commission
The Belize Elections and Boundaries Commissision is the primary electoral body in Belize. It supervises all local and national elections. The Commission also establishes the boundaries of Belize's electoral divisions.-Formation and duties:...

 to study the matter. Their Final Report was submitted in October 2004. It is noted that the Elections and Boundaries Department has the right to occasionally reassess constituencies, usually after the latest census or population estimate.

Among several things that their report suggested, the expansion of the Cayo District's number of constituencies to six (from four) had the most impact. Later the following year (2005) the law was passed to create two additional constituencies within the boundaries of Cayo. The newly created constituencies are Belmopan, containing the capital city of that name
Belmopan
Belmopan , estimated population 20,000 is the capital city of Belize.Belmopan is located at , at an altitude of 76 metres above sea level. Belmopan was constructed just to the east of Belize River, inland from the former capital, the port of Belize City, after that city's near destruction by...

, and Cayo North East, centered on Spanish Lookout
Spanish Lookout
Spanish Lookout is a town in the Cayo District of Belize, Central America. In 2000, Spanish Lookout had a population of 1,786 people. Spanish Lookout is a community of Mennonites in Belize....

.

These new constituencies held their first-ever election during the General Election in 2008.

List of Belize's constituencies by district

Below are the Districts and their respective constituencies:
  • Belize District
    Belize District
    The Belize District is a district of the nation of Belize, with its district capital being the nation's largest city, Belize City.- Settlements :...

    :
    • Albert
      Albert, Belize
      Albert is a constituency in the Belize District of the Central American nation of Belize.-History:Albert was one of the original 18 constituencies that were by the government of the then British Colony of British Honduras...

    • Belize Rural Central
    • Belize Rural North
    • Belize Rural South
    • Caribbean Shores
    • Collet
    • Fort George
    • Freetown
    • Lake Independence
    • Mesopotamia
    • Pickstock
    • Port Loyola
      Port Loyola
      Port Loyola is a parliamentary constituency in Belize City, Belize. It is among the largest constituencies in the city, with over 5,000 voters. As of 2007 its representative to the House of Representatives is the United Democratic Party's Anthony Martinez....

    • Queen's Square

  • Cayo District
    Cayo District
    Cayo District is a district in the west of the nation of Belize. The District capital is the town of San Ignacio.- Geography :The Cayo District is the largest district in Belize. It is located on the western side of the country which borders Guatemala. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is...

    • Belmopan
      Belmopan
      Belmopan , estimated population 20,000 is the capital city of Belize.Belmopan is located at , at an altitude of 76 metres above sea level. Belmopan was constructed just to the east of Belize River, inland from the former capital, the port of Belize City, after that city's near destruction by...

    • Cayo Central
    • Cayo North
    • Cayo North East
    • Cayo South
    • Cayo West

  • Corozal District
    Corozal District
    Corozal District is the northernmost district of the nation of Belize. The population was 33,335 as of 2000. The district capital is Corozal Town.-The Villages of Corozal District:...

    • Corozal Bay
    • Corozal North
    • Corozal South East
    • Corozal South West

  • Orange Walk District
    Orange Walk District
    Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.- Main settlements :...

    • Orange Walk Central
    • Orange Walk East
    • Orange Walk North
    • Orange Walk South

  • Stann Creek District
    Stann Creek District
    Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2010 census, the district had a population of 32,166 people...

    • Dangriga
      Dangriga
      Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean coast at the mouth of Stann Creek. It is the capital of Belize's Stann Creek District and also the largest town in southern Belize...

    • Stann Creek West

  • Toledo District
    Toledo District
    Toledo District is the southernmost district in Belize, and Punta Gorda the District capital. Although the least developed region in the country, it features some of the most pristine rainforests, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore cays...

    • Toledo East
    • Toledo West

Voting population by constituency

Below is a list of the voting population by constituency as of October 2007, sorted out by districts for ease of reference.

Note that these populations are for Belizean citizens who are eligible to vote and does not represent actual population. As of July 2007 the voting population of Belize is estimated at 148,026 while the total population is estimated at 301,300.

The Voter Age Population (VAP), i.e. all persons over the age of eighteen, is 161,677, or 53.66% of the total population. Of these, more than 91 percent are actually registered. Males slightly outnumber females in the population, though the gap is noticeable in the larger urban areas such as Belize City, home to 10 constituencies.
District Constituency Total Nationwide Rank District Rank
Belize
Belize District
The Belize District is a district of the nation of Belize, with its district capital being the nation's largest city, Belize City.- Settlements :...

Albert 3072 30th 12th
Belize Rural Central 4511 21st 4th
Belize Rural North 4578 20th 3rd
Belize Rural South 5159 13th 1st
Caribbean Shores 4291 23rd 5th
Collet 3637 26th 8th
Fort George 3047 31st 13th
Freetown 3452 27th 9th
Lake Independence 4925 18th 2nd
Mesopotamia 3170 28th 10th
Pickstock 3166 29th 11th
Port Loyola 3890 24th 6th
Queen's Square 3862 25th 7th
Cayo
Cayo District
Cayo District is a district in the west of the nation of Belize. The District capital is the town of San Ignacio.- Geography :The Cayo District is the largest district in Belize. It is located on the western side of the country which borders Guatemala. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is...

Belmopan 5667 5th 2nd
Cayo Central 5923 3rd 1st
Cayo North 5015 17th 5th
Cayo North East 4413 22nd 6th
Cayo South 5468 8th 4th
Cayo West 5378 10th 3rd
Corozal
Corozal District
Corozal District is the northernmost district of the nation of Belize. The population was 33,335 as of 2000. The district capital is Corozal Town.-The Villages of Corozal District:...

Corozal Bay 5100 16th 3rd
Corozal North 5108 15th 2nd
Corozal South East 5190 12th 1st
Corozal South West 4869 19th 4th
Orange Walk
Orange Walk District
Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.- Main settlements :...

Orange Walk Central 5727 4th 2nd
Orange Walk East 5443 9th 4th
Orange Walk North 6011 2nd 1st
Orange Walk South 5575 6th 3rd
Stann Creek
Stann Creek District
Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2010 census, the district had a population of 32,166 people...

Dangriga 5114 14th 2nd
Stann Creek West 6470 1st 1st
Toledo
Toledo District
Toledo District is the southernmost district in Belize, and Punta Gorda the District capital. Although the least developed region in the country, it features some of the most pristine rainforests, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore cays...

Toledo East 5473 7th 1st
Toledo West 5324 11th 2nd
National 31 148,026 Avg. Voters per constituency 4775

History

Below is the chronological order for the creation of Belize's current constituencies.
  • 1961
    • The following became Belize's 18 original constituencies:
      • Belize District: Albert, Belize Rural North, Belize Rural South, Collet, Fort George, Freetown, Mesopotamia, Pickstock
      • Cayo District: Cayo North, Cayo South
      • Corozal District: Corozal North, Corozal South
      • Orange Walk District: Orange Walk North, Orange Walk South
      • Stann Creek District: Stann Creek Town, Stann Creek Rural
      • Toledo District: Toledo North, Toledo South
  • 1984
    • The following constituencies were created:
      • Belize District: Caribbean Shores, Lake Independence, Queen's Square, Port Loyola
      • Cayo District: Cayo Central, Cayo West
      • Corozal District: Corozal Bay
      • Orange Walk District: Orange Walk Central, Orange Walk East
    • The following were altered:
      • Corozal District: Corozal South was split into Corozal South East and Corozal South West
      • Toledo District: Boundaries were altered and constituencies renamed to Toledo East and Toledo West
    • The following were renamed:
      • Stann Creek District: Stann Creek Town renamed Dangriga, Stann Creek Rural renamed Stann Creek West
  • 1993
    • The following constituency was created:
      • Belize District: Belize Rural Central
  • 2005
    • The following constituencies were created:
      • Cayo District: Belmopan, Cayo North East

See also

  • Belize
    Belize
    Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

  • Politics of Belize
    Politics of Belize
    Politics of Belize takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby 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...

  • Districts of Belize
    Districts of Belize
    Belize is divided into 6 districts. The districts are listed below, with the capital city and some statistics:-List:-Largest cities and towns by population:Based on 2005 estimate:#Belize City, BZ 70,800#Orange Walk, OW 17,300#San Ignacio, CY 16,800...

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