Turning to the proposed amendments to the Referendum Act, as we told you, the Barrow Administration tabled a bill to amend the legislation at the last sitting of the House of Representatives.
That was two weeks ago, and it is currently being reviewed by the House's Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee. When it goes back to the House, the changes to the law will make it so that instead of a threshold of 60% of those who vote, only a simple majority will be required to make a referendum binding.
A simple majority is only 50% plus 1, and today when we asked Elrington, he clarified that this doesn't mean the 50% of the registered voters of Belize must turn up to vote in the referendum. It simply means that 50% plus 1 of the total voters who show up on that day, will decide whether or not Belize agrees to submit Guatemala's territorial claim to the International Court of Justice. We asked him about the possible implications that a small minority could be decide the fate of Belize, which would be undesirable. Here's what he had to say on that topic:
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"It is expected that you will have 50 percent of the registered voters plus 1 or it is 50 percent of whatever number of persons come out and vote that validates the referendums result."
Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs
"It's the last proposal you put forward, the last one. 50 percent plus 1 of those who vote of the day of the referendum and that is the standard practice for all elections that we have had ever since we have been having elections."
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"Is it a contemplation that if the registered voters don't come out in full force that a small minority may decide such a huge issue that it will be irreversible?"
Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs
"That is the democratic process that why everybody is asked to come out. If you deliberately choose not to come out. You can't complain about the results for that reason we are making such a great effort to sensitize the entire nation and to urge everybody to come out and vote. Not to stay at home, not to sulk, come out and vote, exercise your right. that's your most sacred right and on a matter that is such a fundamental important one would want to think that all right thinking Belizeans will come out and vote. One way or the other but they will come out and vote and that's all we are asking that is what the democratic process contemplates that all registered voters will come out and exercise their right to vote."
Elrington told us that he expects that the bill to amend the Referendum Act will pass sometime next month. Of note is that the Senate has already passed a motion authorizing the Government of Belize to ratify the 2008 Compromis, and the 2015 Amendments, which makes it absolutely certain that a referendum on the ICJ will take place.
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