It's been a while since the lowercase political parties made the news for their unending quest to rid the country's affairs of everything that's wrong with PUDP business as usual. But, tonight they're back in the news because of a lawsuit that they've brought against the Barrow government.
They say that the voter re-registration process which was completed several months ago has clearly demonstrated that the 31 electoral divisions are not equal in size, as the Belize Constitution legally requires them to be. It's an issue that we've highlighted before where some constituencies are made up of three thousand or fewer voters, while larger ones are made up of more than five thousand.
Well, independent politicos from the Belize Progressive Party and their Belize Peace Movement, as well the Vision Inspired By the People, and a coalition of Belizean nationalists have teamed in a challenge against the Government. They are trying to get that disparity corrected, and their legal team has brought an application to the Supreme Court for judicial review proceedings to examine the issue.
The case had its first short hearing this morning before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin where several housekeeping matters were discussed. After the Chief Justice adjourned that hearing, we got a chance to speak briefly with Arthur Saldivar, the attorney representing the claimants. Here are his brief remarks:
Arthur Saldivar - Attorney for the Claimant
"It's really and truly, not the question of redistricting per-say. It's a question of what the constitution requires, that the constituencies be as equal as possible. One would recognize that we have already gone through a period of re-registration. And given that that exercise is now complete, the distribution of the electorate is disproportionate in more than 70% of the constituencies. Given what the constitution has laid out and mandated, it is something that we believe needs to be addressed."
"What we're seeking to do, in a nutshell, is to give voice and effect to what the constitution promotes. That is that the constituencies, all 31, be as equal possible. We cannot have some constituencies, on the low spectrum, with a thousand or less, and those at the high end with 7,000 or more. We can all see the disparity in that, especially when it relates to the influence that every seat in parliament should have. Every voice should count the same as a voter."
So, while Saldivar is representing the Claimants, the Government is being represented by crown counsels from the Attorney General's Ministry.
The Chief Justice may not end up being the judge that presides over this case. He has invited the attorneys for the two sides to share their views on whether or not he should recuse himself and avoid the appearance of bias. He has disclosed to the two sides that he sits on a board with one of the litigants and that he and this litigant have had very small interactions.
In order for this case to progress, the claimants have to convince the sitting judge to grant them permission to bring the judicial review proceedings. If they fail to do so, then that will be the end of the matter.
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