On Thursday, April 18, the Government of Belize announced that a new date has been set for the referendum on whether or not to take the Guatemalan claim to the International Court of Justice.
In a release the Government noted that, “on the request of the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, acting pursuant to Section 4 of the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Act, (Act No. 6 of 2019), the Governor-General of Belize issued a Writ of Referendum for the holding of a referendum on May 8, 2019, to submit to electors the question, ‘Do you agree that any legal claim of Guatemala against Belize relating to land and insular territories and to any maritime areas pertaining to these territories should be submitted to the International Court of Justice for final settlement and that it determine finally the boundaries of the respective territories and areas of the Parties?’”
The referendum is now scheduled to be held amidst speculation that the People’s United Party may once again seek to have the process thwarted. The last referendum on the matter was scheduled for April 10 but it didn’t take place because the PUP sought and got an injunction from the Supreme Court against it. The Government tried to get the injunction lifted at the Court of Appeals but was unsuccessful because the minimum 21-day wait for that to take place was not covered and the Court of Appeals could not hear the matter.
Thereafter on Monday, April 15 the Government went to the National Assembly to have a new referendum bill passed and subsequently, on April 15 it was approved by the Senate.
