House of Representatives (Belize) facts for kids

The House of Representatives in Belize is a very important part of the country's government. Think of it like a team of elected leaders who work together to make laws for Belize. It's one of two main groups in the National Assembly, with the other being the Senate.

This group was started in 1981 when Belize got its own constitution. The first Prime minister, George Cadle Price, helped create it. The people who are part of the House of Representatives are usually called "Area Representatives". This is different from many other countries where they might be called "Members of Parliament" (MPs).

What the House of Representatives Does

The main job of the House of Representatives is to represent the people of Belize. These representatives are chosen by voters in different areas of the country. Each area is called a constituency.

How Representatives Are Chosen

People become Area Representatives by winning the most votes in their constituency. This is often called the "First-past-the-post" system. It means the person with the most votes wins, even if they don't get more than half of all the votes. However, in Belize, they also need to win over 50% of the votes to be elected.

The House of Representatives has grown over time. It started small in 1954 with only nine elected members. Since then, more members have been added as Belize grew. Today, there are 31 members.

Choosing the Prime Minister

The Leader of the political Party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives usually becomes the Prime Minister of Belize. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. Sometimes, if that leader doesn't want to be Prime Minister, they can choose another senior member of their party for the role. This person must have served as a Cabinet minister before.

Current Members of the House of Representatives

The people listed below are the current Area Representatives. They represent different parts of Belize. The Elections and Boundaries Department keeps track of who represents each area.

• Belize District
  • Caribbean Shores: Kareem Musa (PUP)
  • Freetown: Francis Fonseca (PUP)
  • Pickstock: Wilfred Elrington (UDP)
  • Fort George: Said Musa (PUP)
  • Lake Independence: Cordel Hyde (PUP)
  • Albert: Tracy Panton (UDP)
  • Collet: Patrick Faber (UDP)
  • Mesopotamia: Michael Finnegan (UDP)
  • Queen’s Square: Dean Barrow (UDP)
  • Port Loyola: Anthony Martinez (UDP)
  • Belize Rural North: Edmond Castro (UDP)
  • Belize Rural South: Manuel Heredia (politician) (UDP)
  • Belize Rural Central: Beverly Williams (UDP)

• Orange Walk District
  • Orange Walk North: Gaspar Vega (UDP)
  • Orange Walk Central: Johnny Briceño (PUP)
  • Orange Walk East: Elodio Aragon (UDP)
  • Orange Walk South: Jose Mai (PUP)

• Cayo District
  • Cayo North: Omar Figueroa (UDP)
  • Cayo South: Julius Espat (PUP)
  • Cayo West: Erwin Contreras (UDP)
  • Cayo Central: Rene Montero (UDP)
  • Cayo North East: Orlando Habet (PUP)
  • Belmopan: John Saldivar (UDP)

• Corozal District
  • Corozal North: Hugo Patt (UDP)
  • Corozal South West: Angel Campos (UDP)
  • Corozal Bay: Pablo Marin (UDP)
  • Corozal South East: Florencio Marin Jr. (PUP)

• Stann Creek District
  • Dangriga: Frank Mena
  • Stann Creek West: Rodwell Ferguson

• Toledo District
  • Toledo West: Oscar Requena (PUP)
  • Toledo East: Mike Espat (PUP)

See also

In Spanish: Cámara de Representantes (Belice) para niños