March 18, 2018 - that's when Guatemalans will go to a referendum to decide whether to take the territorial dispute with Belize to the ICJ. Multiple Guatemalan news sites are reporting that Guatemala's Supreme Electoral Tribunal will make the official announcement on Monday.
The question will be: "'Do you agree that any legal claim of Guatemala against Belize on continental and island territories and any maritime areas corresponding to such territories shall be submitted to the International Court of Justice for final determination and that (the court) shall determine the boundaries of the respective territories and areas of the parties?" Voters will respond with a simple "yes" or "no". The quezon will be identically worded in Belize when our referendum is held - which is expected to be late next year. But, if there is a "no" vote in Guatemala, then there may not be any need for a referendum in Belize.
Guatemala has reportedly budgeted 40 million US dollars for the exercise and news reports say more than seven million persons are expected to vote. It will be Guatemala's third referendum in its history.
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