PM Briceño: “We need campaign finance legislation that works for Belize”

By Zoila Palma: Prime Minister John Briceño says the government remains committed to introducing campaign finance legislation but wants to ensure any law passed is practical and effective within Belize’s system.

Briceño said he recently met with Dylan Vernon and a colleague who presented a paper on the issue, which he plans to review. He added that Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher is expected to bring a proposal to Cabinet by the end of the year.

“We need to come up with legislation that can work. You don’t want to pass legislation just to say you passed legislation,” Briceño told 7News Belize.

He questioned whether campaign finance laws in larger countries have been fully effective, pointing to the United States as an example. “If we want to pass legislation just to say we have campaign finance legislation, then we can do so, but it’s important that we have one that is applicable and can work within the Belizean context,” he added.

Minister of Education Francis Fonseca said he also supports campaign finance reform but stressed that any legislation must be practical, equitable and capable of securing broad political support. “We’ve always supported campaign finance reform. The challenge is making sure that it’s something that can work for Belize,” Fonseca said.

Fonseca said the government is prepared to revisit those proposals and work with political parties, unions and the business community to develop meaningful legislation. “It has to be something that’s workable, something that’s practical, something that’s equitable,” he added.

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