By Aaron Humes: Prime Minister John Briceño, and separately, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education, Francis Fonseca, today confirmed that the Government is no longer pursuing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which proposed the legalization of anti-crime States of Emergency with approval from the National Security Council.
The Prime Minister told KREM News/XTV that “[the Government has] realized [we] don’t need to amend the Constitution to accomplish the objective of the Police Department,” whose Commissioner Dr Richard Rosado was a major proponent of the legislation.
Fonseca added, “We felt that certain things we would preserve, but there would not be a need for a Constitutional amendment.” Presumably, that includes the installation of a Gun and Gang Court to tackle the issue of gang crime and illegal use of firearms.
The Prime Minister had first informed the National Trade Union Congress of Belize in December during a meeting after Congress representatives raised doubts and sought clarity on the Government’s intentions. Following the amendment’s introduction in the middle of 2025, consultations were held in Belize City, Belmopan, and Dangriga, the first of which saw the biggest turnout and the most significant opposition.
Ella Waight, President of the NTUCB, told LOVE FM that an alternate route has been proposed: “As you know, there was a lot of discussion around this and that. Citizens not feeling safe with the changes that would happen. The Prime Minister stated that this will no longer be achieved as an amendment to the constitution but instead as a change to the Criminal Code. And we welcome that conversation, and we will continue that conversation as well. That is what he that is what he indicated to us.”
The conversation took place in the broader context of a general rise in public criminal activity by gangs, especially in the Belize City area and eastern Cayo Districts, which have faced all of the States of Emergency in place since they were first introduced. The overhaul of the Constitution promised by the People’s Constitutional Commission (PCC) is also still pending.
The post Trade unions hail stand-down on 13th Amendment to Constitution; P.M., F.M. say Criminal Code will be amended instead appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Aaron Humes: Prime Minister John Briceño, and separately, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education, Francis Fonseca, today confirmed that the Government is no longer pursuing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which proposed the legalization of anti-crime States of Emergency with approval from the National Security Council. The Prime Minister told KREM News/XTV that
The post Trade unions hail stand-down on 13th Amendment to Constitution; P.M., F.M. say Criminal Code will be amended instead appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
