Valerie Woods
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Valerie Woods
Valerie Woods Smith (born in 1973) is a Belizean politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Representatives since December 2020. Education Woods has a BSc in Business Administration from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York and a master's degree in Tourism Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Career Woods has worked as the Manager of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Country Manager of Chukka and Director of Tourism. In 1999, she was appointed acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism. She joined the Board of Friends for Conservation and Development in December 2019. Woods is a member of the People's United Party. In March 2016, she was appointed by party leader Johnny Briceño to one of their three designated Senate seats. Her appointment was a surprise to some, as her husband had challenged Briceno to step down in 2011. Woods has been an outspoken advocate against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual ...
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The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain people, usually with official governmental or diplomatic positions. Use by governments International diplomacy In international diplomatic relations, representatives of foreign states are often styled as ''The Honourable''. Deputy chiefs of mission, , consuls-general and consuls are always given the style. All heads of consular posts, whether they are honorary or career postholders, are accorded the style according to the State Department of the United States. However, the style ''Excellency'' instead of ''The Honourable'' is used for ambassadors and high commissioners. Africa The Congo In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the prefix 'Honourable' or 'Hon.' is used for members of both chambers of the Parliament of the Democratic Repu ...
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Discrimination
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation, as well as other categories. Discrimination especially occurs when individuals or groups are unfairly treated in a way which is worse than other people are treated, on the basis of their actual or perceived membership in certain groups or social categories. It involves restricting members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to members of another group. Discriminatory traditions, policies, ideas, practices and laws exist in many countries and institutions in all parts of the world, including territories where discrimination is generally looked down upon. In some places, attempts such as quotas have been used to benefit those who are believed to be current or past victims ...
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Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde (born 20 August 1973) is a Belizean politician. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister of Belize since 16 November 2020. He is a member of the People's United Party, he has represented the Lake Independence constituency in the Belize House since 2015. He currently serves as deputy leader of the People's United Party. Personal Hyde is an alumnus of St. John's College, a junior college in Belize City. He went on to receive a bachelor's degree in English communications from a university in New York. He formerly served as Minister of Education during his first term. He continued to serve the people of his constituency until 2014, when his son was diagnosed with a deadly cancer. His son died later that year in New York, he returned to Belize to work for his family's business. In 2014 Hyde announced his return to politics, defeating the incumbent in the 2015 elections and reclaiming his old seat. Hyde is the son of prominent Belizean journalist Evan X Hyde Evan ...
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List Of Prime Ministers Of Belize
The following article contains a list of Prime Ministers of Belize and Deputy Prime Ministers, from the establishment of the position of First Minister of British Honduras in 1961 to the present day. Office of the Prime Minister of Belize The office of prime minister is established by section 37 of the Constitution of Belize, which provides that the Governor-General of Belize "shall appoint a member of the House of Representatives who is the leader of the political party which commands the support of the majority of the members of that House; and if no political party has an overall majority, he shall appoint a member of that House who appears to him likely to command the support of the majority of the members of that House" The Prime Minister's principal office is the Sir Edney Cain Building, Belmopan. First Minister of British Honduras (1961–1964) Premier of British Honduras (1964–1973) Premier of Belize (1973–1981) Prime ministers of Belize (1981–present) O ...
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House Of Representatives (Belize)
The House of Representatives of Belize is one of two chambers of the National Assembly of Belize, National Assembly, the other being the Senate of Belize, Senate. It was created under the Constitution of Belize, 1981 constitution. Members are commonly called "Area Representatives." Area Representatives are elected by winning a majority of votes in their respective Constituencies of Belize, constituencies under the First-past-the-post voting, first-past-the-post system. The body is directly descended from the British Honduras Legislative Assembly created in 1954 with nine elected members. It has been expanded several times since: to 18 in 1961, 28 in 1984, 29 in 1993 and finally to 31 in 2008. The leader of the majority party in the Belize House typically becomes List of Prime Ministers of Belize, Prime Minister of Belize. Current members of the House of Representatives by district The elected representatives and their constituencies according to the Elections and Boundaries D ...
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2020 Belizean General Election
General elections were held in Belize on 11 November 2020 to elect the 31 members of the House of Representatives. Nomination day was 21 October. The People's United Party achieved its first national election victory since 2003, winning 26 seats, while the incumbent United Democratic Party had its worst result since 1998, winning the remaining 5 seats. Despite the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a recent tropical storm, election turnout was over 81%, the highest since 1998. The election also featured the first female party leader and Prime Ministerial candidate in Belizean general election history: Nancy Marin, leader of the Belize People's Front. Several high-profile MP's also chose not to contest the elections. The previous prime minister, Dean Barrow (UDP), was constitutionally required to step down after serving three terms in office; having been an MP since 1984, he also decided to retire from the House. His predecessor as prime minister, Said Musa (PUP), al ...
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International Court Of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordance with international law and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. The ICJ is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between countries, with its rulings and opinions serving as primary sources of international law. The ICJ is the successor of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), which was established in 1920 by the League of Nations. After the Second World War, both the league and the PCIJ were replaced by the United Nations and ICJ, respectively. The Statute of the ICJ, which sets forth its purpose and structure, draws heavily from that of its predecessor, whose decisions remain valid. All member states of the UN are party to the ICJ Statute and may initiate contentious cases; ho ...
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Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Honduras; to the southeast by El Salvador and to the south by the Pacific Ocean. With an estimated population of around million, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and the 11th most populous country in the Americas. It is a representative democracy with its capital and largest city being Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City, the most populous city in Central America. The territory of modern Guatemala hosted the core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica. In the 16th century, most of this area was conquered by the Spanish and claimed as part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 from Spain and Mexico. In 1823, it became part of the Fe ...
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2019 Belizean Territorial Dispute Referendum
A referendum on the territorial dispute with Guatemala was held in Belize on 8 May 2019. Voters were asked whether the territorial dispute with neighbouring Guatemala should be referred to the International Court of Justice. The vote had originally been scheduled for 10 April but was delayed by a legal challenge. When it took place, the proposal was approved by 55% of voters. Background A commitment to take the Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice was signed by the countries' governments in December 2008. A referendum was held in Guatemala on the proposal on 15 April 2018. As required by previous agreements, a referendum was required to be held in Belize within six months. Guatemalan Vice President Jafeth Cabrera stated that the Belizean vote would be held in May 2018, but the Belizean government released a statement denying the claim and stated that the referendum would be held after a voter re-registration process has occurred to ensu ...
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Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by marking it wrongly or by not marking anything at all. A "blank (or white) voter" has voted, although their vote may be considered a spoilt vote, depending on each legislation, while an abstaining voter has not voted. Both forms (abstention and blank vote) may or may not, depending on the circumstances, be considered to be a protest vote (also known as a "blank vote" or "white vote"). An abstention may be used to indicate the voting individual's ambivalence about the measure, or mild disapproval that does not rise to the level of active opposition. Abstention can also be used when someone has a certain position about an issue, but since the popular sentiment supports th ...
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Domestic Abuse
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner violence'', which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other person, and can take place in relationships or between former spouses or partners. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves violence against children, parents, or the elderly. It can assume multiple forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, or sexual abuse. It can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and other violent physical abuse, such as choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and acid throwing that may result in disfigurement or death, and includes the use of technology to harass, control, monitor, stalk or hack. Domestic murder includes stoning, bride burning, hono ...
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LGBT Rights In Belize
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Belize face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens, although attitudes have been changing in recent years. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized in Belize in 2016, when the Supreme Court declared Belize's anti-sodomy law unconstitutional. Belize's constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which Belizean courts have interpreted to include sexual orientation. Belize held its first Pride Week in August 2017. Activities raising awareness and acceptance were hosted throughout the country. Legality of same-sex sexual activity According to Section 53 of the Belize Criminal Code, "Every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person ... shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years." It was argued in the challenge to Section 53 of the Criminal Code that homosexuality per se is not illegal, but any sexual act which is not the "sexual congress of a phallus inserte ...
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