Cabinet to be named Friday, meet on Monday

By Aaron Humes: The Cabinet of Belize, the executive body to which Her Majesty the Queen through the Governor General delegates her powers of state, will be named by Friday and sworn in on Monday.

By law, only 2-thirds of elected Representatives may be named as Ministers, leaving 15 posts to be filled.

Briceno said there would be a proper mix of persons in the new Cabinet though did not confirm any appointees. He also reminded that elected Representatives are first and foremost that, and not elected solely to be Minister of the Crown, to use their official title.

By tradition, the Prime Minister is also Minister of Finance.

Cordel Hyde, deputy leader of the PUP, is the likely choice to be Deputy Prime Minister and also Minister of Natural Resources, while Francis Fonseca was all but confirmed earlier this week as Minister of Education.

Two extra-parliamentary appointments not confirmed by Briceno are Eamon Courtenay as Senator, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Attorney General. He has served in the former two posts and criticized the most recent holder, Wilfred Elrington, for suggesting he was angling to have them again during their dispute over the Maritime Areas Act a few years ago.

The other is party treasurer and Courtenay’s law office partner Christopher Coye as Minister of State for Finance. He was the party’s choice as co-economic czar with now-former Senator Dr. Carla Barnett during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new Ministers will be sworn in in groups of five on Monday.

Afterward, there will be a first meeting on key national issues including COVID-19, flooding situation and relief, etc.

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