UB study estimates that political campaigning costs up to 75 million dollars every five years

Money is driving Belizean politics, but the public is largely being kept in the dark about where it comes from and what donors may expect in return.  A new study from the University of Belize estimates that political campaigning and related activities could cost as much as seventy-five million dollars over a five-year electoral cycle. Of that amount, an estimated thirty-one million dollars is spent on national elections alone.  The report, Money in Belizean Politics: Breaking the Regulation Deadlock, was launched today by the Belize Policy Research Institute at the University of Belize, known as BELPRI.  Dylan Vernon, the study’s main researcher and presenter, says a candidate may need at least half a million dollars to run a competitive general-election campaign. Much of that money comes from private sources, but Belize has no comprehensive system requiring candidates or political parties to disclose their donors, the amounts contributed or how the funds are spent.  Vernon says that leaves the door open to undue influence and potentially dirty money entering the political system.

Dylan Vernon, Executive Director, BELPRI: “The lack of having disclosure of knowing who gives money to whom has been shown. And in the case of the report, we do point to examples of being a driver of corruption and also a facilitator of inequity in partIcipation in Belizean politics. And so the report delves into these issues. It does have a chapter that looks at 15 other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America and uses best practices from them to develop recommendations that we think are best suited for Belize to get to the point where we do have our first act on regulating the political finance and political parties in Belize. The general point the report makes is that while Belize does not have official public funding of political partisan candidates, that public resources in Belize can be used or abused to influence voters and constituents.”

The report finds that Belize’s existing election laws focus mainly on vote bribery but do not adequately regulate political donations, campaign spending, financial reporting or public disclosure.  Researchers estimate that at least one-third of voters have participated in some form of vote buying or vote trading. The study also raises concerns about the partisan use of public resources, including constituency funds, land, scholarships, food assistance and even disaster relief.  According to BELPRI, the high price of campaigning shuts out many independent candidates and smaller political movements while giving wealthy donors and established political organizations greater influence over the electoral system.  That lack of transparency is also linked to declining confidence in Belize’s political institutions. Figures cited in the study show that only twenty-four percent of Belizeans trust political parties. Sixty-four percent believe politicians are corrupt, while seventy-eight percent say the same about public officials more broadly.  The Office of the Prime Minister recorded a thirty-two percent trust rating in 2023, compared with forty-eight percent for the National Assembly.  To break the regulatory deadlock, the report recommends fixed election dates and defined campaign periods; the registration of political parties; limits or bans on certain private contributions; spending controls; public disclosure requirements; sanctions for violations; and the establishment of an independent Political Party and Political Finance Regulation Commission.

Vernon says proposals already developed by civil-society organizations could provide the foundation for meaningful reform, but moving forward will require public pressure and political will.

Reporter: Do you think it’s practical though in the sense that the government will say one day they’ll wake up and change of heart say let’s implement this thing? 

Allan Pollard, Councilor: “I don’t think it works like that but of course like Mr. Vernon said, Dr. Vernon said, you know it’s the start of the discussion, meeting with the prime minister, meeting with the cabinet ministers and seeing exactly how would be the best way and the most practical way forward of implementing this regulation. I think it will to an extent restore some level of trust that we’ve seen has been eroded over time. I think a lot of people are upset at the fact that in certain areas there are lack of accountability and transparency and I think this is the perfect step in fixing that.”

BELPRI argues that doing nothing is no longer an option. The institute is calling for an inclusive national consultation, backed by public education, to determine the most practical system of political-finance regulation for Belize.  The report’s central question is straightforward: if Belizeans do not know who is paying for the country’s politics, how can they know what those financiers may be receiving in return?