Belize

House of Representatives Senate

Senate

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
No
»

About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name
National Assembly
Chamber name
Senate
Structure & status of parliament
Upper chamber
Parliamentary term (years)
5

IPU membership

Affiliation periods
IPU Geopolitical Group/s
No information available

Speaker

Official title
President of the Senate
Speaker
Carolyn Trench Sandiford (Female)
Date of birth: 24 Nov 1962
Term
11 Dec 2020
Additional information

Elected on 11 Dec. 2020.

Speaker terms

Click for historical data

Secretary general

Official title
Clerk to the National Assembly
Secretary General
Eddie Webster (Male)
Term
12 Apr 2010
Notes

Appointed on 12 Apr. 2010.

Members

Statutory number of members
13

Notes:

Appointed members: Six members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister; three on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition; one on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical Association of Churches; one on the advice of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau; and one on the advice of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and the Civil Society Steering Committee.

Other: The President may be designated from outside the Senate and becomes a member of the Senate by virtue of holding the office of President.

Principal mode of designation of members
Appointed
Appointed members
13
Other members
1
Current number of members
14
Men
8
Women
6
Percentage of women
42.9%
Statutory number of members per country 
45
Population (in thousands)
Click for historical data
Inhabitants per parliamentarian
Click for historical data

Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.

Average age of all members
No information available
Number of members, by age
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male No information available
Female
Total <= 45: - Total >= 46: -
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
- - -

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Yes
Other groups
3

Notes:

Three of twelve appointed seats in parliament are appointed on the advice of:

- the Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical Association of Churches;

- the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau;

- the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and the Civil Society Steering Committee.

Electoral quota for women
No
Youth quota
No

Links to additional information

Parliamentary website
List of members
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Constitution

Historical data for IPU membership

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Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No