A referendum on the territorial dispute with Belize was held in Guatemala on Sunday 15 April 2018. Voters were asked whether the Guatemalan government should request the

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 accordanc ...

to resolve the territorial dispute permanently, as part of a commitment signed in December 2008 between Guatemala and

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. Guatemalan Vice President, Jafeth Cabrera, stated that

would hold their

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in response in May 2018, but Belize released a statement denying that and stating rather that it would hold the referendum after the re-registration process has occurred to ensure an accurate and fair vote.

Background

In May 2015,

allowed Guatemala to proceed with a referendum asking the

(ICJ) to definitively rule on the dispute although Belize by its own admission is not ready for such a vote. A previous treaty between the two countries stipulated that any such vote must be held simultaneously. Guatemala was initially expected to hold its referendum on the issue during its second round of presidential elections in October 2015, but such a vote was not on the ballot.Trujillo, Renee
"Presidential Candidate for Guatemala Says Belize Can Still Be Fought For"
, LOVE FM, 9 September 2015 (accessed 28 September 2015)

has yet to announce its vote on the matter.Ramos, Adele
"Belize and Guatemala to amend ICJ compromis"
''

Amandala ''Amandala'' is a Belizean tabloid newspaper. Published twice weekly, it is Belize's largest newspaper. ''Amandala'' was established in 1969 as the print organ of the now-defunct United Black Association for Development (UBAD), but has been polit ...

'', 12 May 2015. (accessed 14 May 2015) Guatemalan president

Jimmy Morales Jimmy Morales (born James Ernesto Morales Cabrera, ; 18 March 1969) is a Guatemalan politician, actor and comedian. From 2016 to 2020, he served as the 50th president of Guatemala. Early and personal life Morales was born in Guatemala City ...

has made statements strongly in support of Guatemala's old territorial claim to Belize: "Something is happening right now, we are about to lose Belize. We have not lost it yet. We still have the possibility of going to the International Court of Justice where we can fight that territory or part of that territory." If the population voted "No," a referendum would be called again in six months, until it wins "Yes" since both countries agree that the only way to solve the dispute is by means of the International Court of Justice. The call for the referendum was made on 23 October 2017.

Administration

On 2 August 2017, the Guatemalan Congress approved the agreement 22-2017, which allows the president to immediately submit to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal the request to convene the referendum. The agreement was approved by 102 votes in favor and 14 against. The European Union provided financial assistance for this to take place. The Government of Guatemala convened a public consultation, and immediately, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal called a referendum on Sunday, 15 April 2018. Around 7.5 million people registered for the referendum. Members of the armed forces (Air Force, Army, and Navy), people in prison, and Guatemalans living abroad were not allowed to vote.

Question

The question of the referendum was this: "Do you agree that any legal claim of Guatemala against

relating to land and insular territories and to any maritime areas pertaining to these territories should be submitted to the

for final settlement and that it determines finally the boundaries of the respective territories and areas of the parties?"

Results

References

External links

Tribunal Supremo Electoral
{{Guatemalan elections

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...