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Referendum Before Republic
Thu, May 11, 2023
Today that route took the Commissioner straight to Orange Walk where he received a vehicle for that formation handed over by Prime Minister Briceno. And that led us to ask the PM about his statements published last week that Belize could be the next country to ditch the King as the head of state. Almost a week after the coronation of Charles III...

Today that route took the Commissioner straight to Orange Walk where he received a vehicle for that formation handed over by Prime Minister Briceno.

And that led us to ask the PM about his statements published last week that Belize could be the next country to ditch the King as the head of state. Almost a week after the coronation of Charles III, King of Belize, Belizeans are still divided on whether to leave or stay with the British Monarchy.

And while the PM told the UK Guardian that Belize could make that change with as little as a vote in parliament, the PM doesn't actually see it that way.

When we met up with him this morning we asked him about the LOO's opinion that Belizeans deserve to make that decision for themselves in a referendum. Here's how he answered that one:

John Briceño, Prime Minister Of Belize
"I think the less said about Shynr the better. But I would just point out the fact that we've always said that this is a decision that would have to go to a referendum. But the point that I made to the Guardian and to everybody when they asked me, is that we have set up the People's Constitutional Commission."

"And the idea is that the People's Constitutional Commission is going to work on getting the views of people. Once we get those views, they're going to compile a report that report then will go to the National Assembly, and then if there's going to be any constitutional changes, especially one as big as if whether we should see with a monarchy or a Republican system and a Republican system simply means it doesn't mean that we're going to change our way of governance or a parliamentary system."

"It could be presidential. It could be parliamentary. It simply means that we're going to keep the monarchy as the head of government. I believe that that is of such importance that it has to go to a referendum. So I don't know what Leader of the Opposition is talking about."

We also asked the PM why he didn't tell Prince William to his face during his visit last year that Belize would be, as Jamaica's PM Andrew Holness put it: "Moving on."

But Bricenco says he's not in the habit of being rude to his guests.

He also expressed the wish that Belizeans better inform themselves about some of the misconceptions around Britain's non-existent security guarantees to Belize.

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