BELMOPAN, Belize, Feb 13, CMC – The High Court has given the parties until the close of business on Friday to hand in written submissions as development consultant, Jeremy Enrique, is seeking an urgent injunction to halt the March 12 general elections announced by Prime Minister John Briceño earlier this week. Nomination Day is February 25.
Former Trinidad and Tobago attorney general, Anand Ramlogan, filed the injunction urging the court to stop the election until a redistricting exercise is conducted. The last general election was held on November 11, 2020.
In the application, Ramlogan is also asking the court to not only block the elections, but also to direct Prime Minister Briceno to revoke his advice to the to the Governor General, Dame Froyla Tzalam on the dissolution of Parliament.
The application also seeks to prevent the Governor General from issuing the writ of election, a move that has already been completed.
Senior Counsels Eamon Courtenay and Godfrey Smith appeared before Justice Tawanda Hondora to respond to the application.
Ramlogan argued that the elections will not be constitutional unless the redistricting exercise is carried out, citing concerns that the current system is outdated and unfair.
But Courtenay disagreed, noting that due to the separation of powers, the High Court cannot undo the dissolution of Parliament. He said that even if the court were to bring Parliament back, there is insufficient time to complete the redistricting process before the elections.
Courtenay said that any redistricting proposal could be voted down in Parliament, which would delay the process further. The Senior Counsel said that delaying elections would grant the prime minister undemocratic powers to remain in office beyond the five-year term. Courtenay also argued that Enriquez’s claims lacked constitutional grounds and that Enriquez has a right to vote and that the secrecy of that vote is protected, but no law or constitutional requirement entitles him to be informed of when elections are called.
He also suggested that the urgency of the injunction was questionable with Courtenay telling the High Court that Enriquez had since 2020 to challenge the issue of redistricting but waited until now to bring it before the court.
The matter has been adjourned with no interim order granted as both parties need to hand in written submissions by close of business on Friday. Additionally, the Elections and Boundaries Commission has been granted leave to intervene in the proceedings by making its submissions, if any, by Monday.
The Belize Peace Movement (BPM) and other advocacy groups have been vocal about the constitutional requirement for redistricting before any new elections and political observers this legal challenge could potentially delay the election process..
The leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) Shyne Barrow, had also called on the authorities to conduct “a meaningful and fair redistricting” exercise before the next general election that had been expected by November this year.
“The UDP joins the Belize Peace Movement, Jeremy Enriquez, Rudolph Norales and Jessica Tulcey in their fight for redistricting to be completed before the general election is called and we implore all democratic allies of Belize, civil society, social activists and guardians of democracy everywhere to join in this fight. Equal representation matters in our sacred Democracy.”
CMC/af/ir/2025