British Virgin Islands general election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The British Virgin Islands general election, 2007 was held in the British Virgin Islands
on 20 August 2007. The result was a landslide victory
for the opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP) over the incumbent National Democratic Party
(NDP).
The VIP took 7 of the 9 district seats (of the remaining district seats, only 1 was taking by the NDP; the other was taken by Alvin Christopher, an independent candidate endorsed by the VIP). The VIP also took 3 out of the 4 territorial at-large seats. The only two NDP candidates to retain their seats were former Chief Minister Orlando Smith
and seventh district representative Kedrick Pickering. VIP at-large candidate Zoë McMillan-Walcott had initially asked for a recount of her vote against Orlando Smith for the fourth at-large seat (the initial count indicated her to have received only 18 fewer votes), but she subsequently withdrew the request.http://www.bviplatinum.com/beta/news/?page=article&aid=3344
The victory gave the VIP an unprecedented 10 elected seats out of the 13 available in the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands, despite receiving only a mere 5.6% greater share of the votes than the NDP (45.2% to 39.6%).
Voter turnout was relatively high, with approximately 62.3% of registered voters casting votes; although this was some way lower than the 72.2% voter turnout for the 2003 election
. The lowest turnout was in the fifth district, where only 49.3% of voters cast votes; the highest was the eighth district, where 76.2% turnout was recorded.
The Supervisor of elections reported that the elections passed off "without incident".http://www.bvinews.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=198&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=3287&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1924&hn=bvinews&he=.com
Total number of registered voters: 1,277
Total number of votes cast: 825 (64.6% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 1,143
Total number of votes cast: 638 (55.8% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 1,235
Total number of votes cast: 619 (50.1% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 1,226
Total number of votes cast: 803 (65.5% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 1,403
Total number of votes cast: 691 (49.3% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 1,363
Total number of votes cast: 873 (64.0% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 1,025
Total number of votes cast: 661 (64.5% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 857
Total number of votes cast: 1,125 (76.2% turnout)
Total number of registered voters: 996
Total number of votes cast: 1,378 (72.3% turnout)
The ninth electoral district was the only district to undergo a recount.
(IND) = Independent candidate
(IPM) = Independent People's Movement
(NDP) = National Democratic Party
candidate
(VIP) = Virgin Islands Party candidate
The closest races were in the fourth district (where only 27 votes separated the candidates), the fifth district (23 votes separated the leading candidates, and 87 votes went to independent candidates) and the ninth where a mere 9 votes separated the candidates (46 votes having gone to the independent candidate) and a recount was conducted.
Alvin Christopher received the highest percentage of votes for a territorial candidate (75.9%), whilst Andrew Fahie received the highest number of total votes. Hubert O'Neal had the unhappy distinction of having the highest number of votes (467 votes, higher than 5 successful candidates) and the highest percentage of the vote (46.9%) for a losing territorial candidate. Elvis "Jughead" Harrigan had the lowest number of votes (309) and percentage of vote (44.7%) for any successful territorial candidate.
(IND) = Independent candidate
(IPM) = Independent People's Movement
(NDP) = National Democratic Party
candidate
(VIP) = Virgin Islands Party candidate
officially appointed Ralph O'Neal as the first Premier (as the position of Chief Minister will be called) under section 52(1) the new constitution. He becomes only the second person in BVI political history (after Lavity Stoutt
) to serve two non-consecutive terms of office as Chief Minister/Premier, and only the third (Lavity Stoutt and Willard Wheatley
) to win more than one general election as party leader, both remarkable achievements for a politician who was written off by some as a "spent force" after he lost the previous election at the age of 69.
Questions hover over how long Ralph O'Neal expects to serve as Premier, starting his term at the age of 73. Rumours abounded prior to the election that a backroom deal may have been struck with Dancia Penn
that she would take over the premiership when he stepped down, mid-term; a move that may presumably cause some internal consternation in the party. Those rumours were further fuelled when Dancia Penn was appointed as Deputy Premier shortly after the election.
On 23 August 2007 the first cabinet was sworn in under Ralph O'Neal.
Sources: Platinum news; Government Press Release 323R/07
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
on 20 August 2007. The result was a landslide victory
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
for the opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP) over the incumbent National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (British Virgin Islands)
The National Democratic Party is a political party in the British Virgin Islands.In the 2007 general election the incumbent NDP was crushed by the Virgin Islands Party and lost all except for 2 of its seats....
(NDP).
The VIP took 7 of the 9 district seats (of the remaining district seats, only 1 was taking by the NDP; the other was taken by Alvin Christopher, an independent candidate endorsed by the VIP). The VIP also took 3 out of the 4 territorial at-large seats. The only two NDP candidates to retain their seats were former Chief Minister Orlando Smith
Orlando Smith
D. Orlando Smith, OBE is the current Premier of the British Virgin Islands. He also formerly served as Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands from 2003 to 2007...
and seventh district representative Kedrick Pickering. VIP at-large candidate Zoë McMillan-Walcott had initially asked for a recount of her vote against Orlando Smith for the fourth at-large seat (the initial count indicated her to have received only 18 fewer votes), but she subsequently withdrew the request.http://www.bviplatinum.com/beta/news/?page=article&aid=3344
The victory gave the VIP an unprecedented 10 elected seats out of the 13 available in the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands, despite receiving only a mere 5.6% greater share of the votes than the NDP (45.2% to 39.6%).
Voter turnout was relatively high, with approximately 62.3% of registered voters casting votes; although this was some way lower than the 72.2% voter turnout for the 2003 election
British Virgin Islands general election, 2003
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 16 June 2003. They were won by the National Democratic Party, which took 54.4% of the vote and 8 of the 15 seats on the Legislative Council.-Individual territorial seats:...
. The lowest turnout was in the fifth district, where only 49.3% of voters cast votes; the highest was the eighth district, where 76.2% turnout was recorded.
The Supervisor of elections reported that the elections passed off "without incident".http://www.bvinews.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=198&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=3287&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1924&hn=bvinews&he=.com
District seats
The results of the voting for the district seats was as follows:- First electorial district
Candidate No of votes Percentage Andrew A. Fahie (VIP) 611 74.1% Archibald Christian (NDP) 205 24.8% Rejected ballots 9 1.1%
Total number of registered voters: 1,277
Total number of votes cast: 825 (64.6% turnout)
- Second Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage J. Alvin Christopher (IND) 484 75.9% Gerald Chinnery (NDP) 139 21.8% Rejected ballots 15 2.3%
Total number of registered voters: 1,143
Total number of votes cast: 638 (55.8% turnout)
- Third Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Julian Fraser (VIP) 440 71.1% Alwon E. Smith (NDP) 179 28.9% Rejected ballots 0 0.0%
Total number of registered voters: 1,235
Total number of votes cast: 619 (50.1% turnout)
- Fourth Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Vincent Gregory Scatliffe (VIP) 400 49.8% Audley Maduro (NDP) 373 46.6% R. Courtney de Castro (IPM) 15 1.8% Rejected ballots 15 1.8%
Total number of registered voters: 1,226
Total number of votes cast: 803 (65.5% turnout)
- Fifth Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Elvis Jerome Harrigan (VIP) 309 44.7% Delores Christopher (NDP) 286 41.4% Lesmore Smith (IND) 56 8.1% Nona Vanterpool (IND) 31 4.5% Rejected ballots 9 1.3%
Total number of registered voters: 1,403
Total number of votes cast: 691 (49.3% turnout)
- Sixth Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Omar Wallace Hodge (VIP) 588 67.4% E. Walwyn Brewley (IND) 252 28.9% Rejected ballots 33 3.8%
Total number of registered voters: 1,363
Total number of votes cast: 873 (64.0% turnout)
- Seventh Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Kedrick Pickering (NDP) 351 53.1% Ronnie Lettsome (VIP) 298 45.1% Rejected ballots 12 0.8%
Total number of registered voters: 1,025
Total number of votes cast: 661 (64.5% turnout)
- Eighth Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Dancia Penn-Sallah Dancia PennRuth Dancia Penn, OBE, QC is a British Virgin Islands politician and former deputy governor of the British Virgin Islands from September 20, 2004 to April 1, 2007...
(VIP)453 52.9% Lloyd Keithley Black (NDP) 387 45.2% Douglas Dixon Wheatley (IND) 8 0.9% Rejected ballots 9 1.0%
Total number of registered voters: 857
Total number of votes cast: 1,125 (76.2% turnout)
- Ninth Electoral District
Candidate No of votes Percentage Ralph T. O'Neal Ralph T. O'NealRalph Telford O'Neal, OBE is the former Premier of the British Virgin Islands, and is expected to be appointed as the leader of the opposition...
(VIP)476 47.8% Hubert Robinson O'Neal (NDP) 467 46.9% Devon Osborne (IND) 46 4.6% Rejected ballots 7 0.7%
Total number of registered voters: 996
Total number of votes cast: 1,378 (72.3% turnout)
The ninth electoral district was the only district to undergo a recount.
(IND) = Independent candidate
(IPM) = Independent People's Movement
(NDP) = National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (British Virgin Islands)
The National Democratic Party is a political party in the British Virgin Islands.In the 2007 general election the incumbent NDP was crushed by the Virgin Islands Party and lost all except for 2 of its seats....
candidate
(VIP) = Virgin Islands Party candidate
The closest races were in the fourth district (where only 27 votes separated the candidates), the fifth district (23 votes separated the leading candidates, and 87 votes went to independent candidates) and the ninth where a mere 9 votes separated the candidates (46 votes having gone to the independent candidate) and a recount was conducted.
Alvin Christopher received the highest percentage of votes for a territorial candidate (75.9%), whilst Andrew Fahie received the highest number of total votes. Hubert O'Neal had the unhappy distinction of having the highest number of votes (467 votes, higher than 5 successful candidates) and the highest percentage of the vote (46.9%) for a losing territorial candidate. Elvis "Jughead" Harrigan had the lowest number of votes (309) and percentage of vote (44.7%) for any successful territorial candidate.
Territorial At-Large Seats
The top four vote receiving candidates are elected to the at-large seats.| Position | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irene Penn-O'Neal | (VIP) | (3,721 votes) |
| 2 | Vernon Elroy Malone | (VIP) | (3,626 votes) |
| 3 | Keith L. Flax | (VIP) | (3,599 votes) |
| 4 | Orlando Smith Orlando Smith D. Orlando Smith, OBE is the current Premier of the British Virgin Islands. He also formerly served as Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands from 2003 to 2007... |
(NDP) | (3,549 votes) |
| 5 | Zoë Walcott-McMillan | (VIP) | (3,531 votes) |
| 6 | Elmore Stoutt | (NDP) | (3,433 votes) |
| 7 | Ronnie W. Skelton | (NDP) | (3,404 votes) |
| 8 | Mark Vanterpool | (NDP) | (3,063 votes) |
| 9 | Alred Frett | (IND) | (326 votes) |
| 10 | Quincy Lettsome | (IND) | (250 votes) |
| 11 | Ulric Scatliffe | (IND) | (174 votes) |
| 12 | Eileene Baronville | (IND) | (100 votes) |
(IND) = Independent candidate
(IPM) = Independent People's Movement
(NDP) = National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (British Virgin Islands)
The National Democratic Party is a political party in the British Virgin Islands.In the 2007 general election the incumbent NDP was crushed by the Virgin Islands Party and lost all except for 2 of its seats....
candidate
(VIP) = Virgin Islands Party candidate
New Government
On 22 August 2007, the Governor, Mr David PeareyDavid Pearey
David Pearey was the Governor of the British Virgin Islands from 18 April 2006 to 5 August 2010. He was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the British government, to represent the Queen in the territory, and to act as the de facto head of state.Prior to his appointment as Governor,...
officially appointed Ralph O'Neal as the first Premier (as the position of Chief Minister will be called) under section 52(1) the new constitution. He becomes only the second person in BVI political history (after Lavity Stoutt
Lavity Stoutt
Hamilton Lavity Stoutt was the first and longest serving Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands, winning four general elections and serving three non-consecutive terms of office from 1967 to 1971, again from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1986 until his death in 1995.Since Stoutt's death in...
) to serve two non-consecutive terms of office as Chief Minister/Premier, and only the third (Lavity Stoutt and Willard Wheatley
Willard Wheatley
Willard Wheatley served two consecutive terms as the Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands from 1971 to 1979. He was the leader of the United Party.-References:*...
) to win more than one general election as party leader, both remarkable achievements for a politician who was written off by some as a "spent force" after he lost the previous election at the age of 69.
Questions hover over how long Ralph O'Neal expects to serve as Premier, starting his term at the age of 73. Rumours abounded prior to the election that a backroom deal may have been struck with Dancia Penn
Dancia Penn
Ruth Dancia Penn, OBE, QC is a British Virgin Islands politician and former deputy governor of the British Virgin Islands from September 20, 2004 to April 1, 2007...
that she would take over the premiership when he stepped down, mid-term; a move that may presumably cause some internal consternation in the party. Those rumours were further fuelled when Dancia Penn was appointed as Deputy Premier shortly after the election.
On 23 August 2007 the first cabinet was sworn in under Ralph O'Neal.
- In addition to serving as the Territory’s first Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal was appointed Minister of Finance and Tourism.
- Honourable Andrew Fahie was appointed Minister of Education and Culture
- Honourable Julian Fraser was appointed Minister of Communications and Works
- Honourable Omar Hodge was appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Labour
- Honourable Dancia Penn, OBE, QC was appointed Minister of Health and Social Development.
Sources: Platinum news; Government Press Release 323R/07