How Belize is governed

Belize is a parliamentary democracy on the British model and a Commonwealth realm: the monarch of the United Kingdom is also King of Belize. In practice the country is run by an elected government in Belmopan.

The King and the Governor-General

The head of state is King Charles III. He is represented in Belize by the Governor-General, who is appointed by the monarch. The Governor-General appoints the Prime Minister after an election, normally the leader of the party that won the most seats, appoints the senators, and gives the final assent that turns a bill passed by the National Assembly into law.

The Governor-General is Dame Froyla Tzalam, a Mopan Maya leader, in office since 27 May 2021. (Named from the Government Press Office page, checked 23 September 2026. The start date is from secondary sources; see the note at the bottom.)

The Prime Minister and Cabinet

The party with a majority in the House of Representatives forms the government. The Prime Minister heads it and chooses the Cabinet, the ministers who run the ministries day to day.

The Prime Minister is John Briceño of the People’s United Party, member for Orange Walk Central, who also holds the finance portfolio. (Government Press Office, checked 23 September 2026.) Ambergris Caye’s own representative, for Belize Rural South, is Andre Perez, who is also Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation. (Government Press Office House and Cabinet pages, checked 23 September 2026.)

The National Assembly

Parliament, called the National Assembly, has two houses, and a bill must pass both.

The House of Representatives has 31 members, each elected by plurality vote in a single-member constituency, for a five-year term. The House makes the laws, passes the budget every year, and holds the government to account through question time, debates and select committees. At the general election of 12 March 2025, the PUP won 26 of the 31 seats; the Government Press Office lists 26 government members and 5 opposition members.

The Senate has 13 appointed members, appointed by the Governor-General:

• six on the advice of the Prime Minister,
• three on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition,
• one on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical Association of Churches,
• one on the advice of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau,
• one on the advice of the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee,
• one on the advice of the non-governmental organisations.

A President of the Senate, also appointed, presides. Beyond debating bills from the House, the Senate has some powers of its own. It must approve changes to the part of the Constitution that protects fundamental rights, and it must authorise the ratification of treaties, including any treaty to settle the territorial dispute with Guatemala. It approves appointments such as the Contractor General, the Ombudsman and members of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, and it can hold inquiries into mismanagement or corruption in government.

The parties

Two parties have dominated politics since the 1970s.

• The People’s United Party (PUP), founded in 1950 out of the independence movement. George Price led it to independence.
• The United Democratic Party (UDP), formed in 1973 from the merger of the National Independence Party, the People’s Development Movement and the Liberal Party.

Independents and smaller groups do stand. In San Pedro’s 2024 town election, an independent candidate ran for mayor against the two party slates.

The courts

• The High Court has unlimited original jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases and hears appeals from the lower courts. Its administration is directed by the Chief Justice. Its civil division sits in Belize City; criminal sittings are held in northern, central and southern districts.
• The Court of Appeal hears civil and criminal appeals, sitting three times a year, in March, June and October, with panels of three judges.
• The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, has been Belize’s final court of appeal since 1 June 2010. Before that, the last word belonged to the Privy Council in London. Permission to appeal to the CCJ is sought from the Belize Court of Appeal, except where the law gives a right of appeal.

Local government: the San Pedro Town Council

San Pedro is a town with its own elected Town Council: a mayor and six councillors. The council runs local affairs for the town, from property tax and trade licences to golf-cart permits, building permits and garbage. The mayor is Wally Nunez, as listed on the Council’s own website (page updated 8 April 2024). The last municipal election was held on 6 March 2024. The PUP slate won all seven seats, and the council was sworn in on 12 March 2024 for a three-year term, according to the San Pedro Sun.

Who the councillors are, what each one covers and how to deal with the council’s departments are on the next page: San Pedro Town Council.

Belmopan, the capital, has had an elected mayor and City Council since 2000; before that it was run by a government development corporation.

A note on names

Office holders change. We name people on this page only where an official government or council page lists them as current on the date we checked. If you are reading this long after 23 September 2026, check the Government Press Office first.