Who runs local government in Belize?

Belize has one tier of local government with no constitutional protection: 2 city councils, 7 town councils, about 181 village councils and 12 community councils (2017–18 figures). In the south, especially in Toledo District, Maya villages also have alcaldes, traditional leaders with a legal role as local magistrates, who work alongside the elected village councils.

Belize · Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy · Central America

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Districts (6)	No district government; administrative units of the central government	Organise national services.
City councils (Belize City, Belmopan) and town councils (7)	Mayor elected directly; councillors elected every three years by first past the post	Streets, drains, waste, markets, parks, cemeteries, property tax.
Village councils (about 181) and community councils (12)	Chairperson and six councillors elected every three years by village residents aged 18+	Village roads, sanitation, environment; by-laws and fees.
Alcaldes (84 in 2017–18, mostly in Toledo)	Usually chosen at village meetings, then appointed by the government for two years	Keep order, hear petty cases under the Inferior Courts Act, organise communal work (fajina), decide who may live in the village.

Three questions about local power in Belize

Are local leaders elected?

Mayors, town and city councillors, village council chairs and councillors are elected. Alcaldes are usually chosen at village meetings but formally appointed by the government.

Which laws set up local government?

All councils exist under Acts of Parliament, not the Constitution. Alcaldes are formal through the Inferior Courts Act. Maya customary land rights are recognised by the courts.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Voters replace councillors every three years. The Ministry responsible for local government oversees all councils and village decisions. Alcaldes answer to village meetings and to the government that appoints them.

Traditional and customary authority

The alcalde system comes from Maya practice and is recognised in law through the Inferior Courts Act, so it is formal even though alcaldes are not elected by secret ballot. An alcalde, with a deputy and volunteer village police, can try petty offences and call communal clean-up days. The CLGF reported that women were traditionally excluded from voting in alcalde meetings and that there were no female alcaldes. The Toledo Alcaldes Association represents them nationally and backed a draft Alcaldes Bill in 2011. In 2015 the Caribbean Court of Justice recognised Maya customary land tenure in southern Belize, which raised the alcaldes' importance in land matters.

Community and neighbourhood power

Village councils must meet at least quarterly and can set up committees. District associations of village councils (DAVCOs), required by the Village Councils Act, form a national association. City and town councils must hold public meetings at least once a month.

Points to know

To become a village under the law, a community needs at least 200 voters and a ministerial order.
There are no voter lists for village elections, so turnout is unknown.
Alcalde jurisdiction is not limited to Maya people: anyone living in the village falls under it.
A 2009 national policy on local governance recommended putting local government into the Constitution, but this has not happened.

Local terms

Alcalde: A Maya village leader and local magistrate in southern Belize, recognised under the Inferior Courts Act.
Fajina: Communal village work, such as cleaning, that an alcalde can call.

Sources

The local government system in Belize: country profile 2017–18, Commonwealth Local Government Forum, checked 14 October 2026
Belize's Constitution of 1981 (rev. 2011), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026