1986 British Virgin Islands general election

Last updated

1986 British Virgin Islands general election
Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg
  1983 17 November 1986 (1986-11-17) 1990  

All seats in the British Virgin Islands Legislative Council
5 seats needed for a majority
Turnout67.5%
 First partySecond party
 
Leader Lavity Stoutt Ralph T. O'Neal
Party VIP United Party
Leader since19711986
Leader's seat1st District9th District
Last election4 seats, 43.8%4 seats, 42.3%
Seats before44
Seats won52
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 2
Popular vote1,838977
Percentage46.63%24.78%

Chief Minister before election

Cyril Romney
United Party (Coalition)

Elected Chief Minister

Lavity Stoutt
VIP

Snap general elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 17 November 1986. The result was a victory for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt over the United Party (UP). Subsequent to the election, Ralph T. O'Neal became leader of the opposition despite not being head of the UP.

Contents

The VIP won five of the nine available seats giving it an absolute majority. Conrad Maduro and Ralph O'Neal were the only members of the UP to win a seat. Maduro only won by a single vote, and O'Neal would change allegiance to the Virgin Islands Party before the next general election. Two candidates running as independents, Walwyn Brewley and former Chief Minister Cyril Romney, were elected. The election victory would make the start of 17 consecutive years in power for the VIP, which would only end in the 2003 general election.

Although Stoutt had lost the previous election, former Chief Minister Cyril Romney had been forced to step down on 1 October 1986 by Governor David Barwick, and so Stoutt had assumed Premiership by virtue of leadership of the largest party in the house prior to the election.

Janice George-Creque served as the supervisor of elections. [1] The turnout was 67.5% across the Territory, although this masked regional variations in the individual district seats. Turnout was highest in the 9th District (81.3%) and lowest in the 2nd (60.3%) and 3rd (60.6%) Districts. The 2nd District was decided by a single vote.

Background

Whilst serving as Chief Minister Romney was the 99% owner of a trust company called Financial Management Trust, which had been linked with laundering drugs money. Although Romney was not personally implicated in the money laundering scheme, he was serving as Chief Minister at the time, the Legislative Council resolved to debate a no-confidence motion, and Governor Barwick ordered Romney to step down. To preempt the motion, Romney dissolved the Legislative Council and called a general election.

Results

Although Romney himself was returned as the representative for Fifth District, his coalition partners in the United Party were beaten by Lavity Stoutt's Virgin Islands Party. The former coalition won only three seats: Romney himself, Conrad Maduro (and Maduro's victory was by a single vote), and Ralph O'Neal. O'Neal was appointed leader of the opposition, but that role would pass to Maduro when O'Neal later joined the Virgin Islands Party.

The defeat of Q.W. Osborne was the end of his political career. Willard Wheatley also suffered the first defeat of his political career, but would continue in politics.

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Virgin Islands Party 1,83846.635+1
United Party 97724.782–2
People's Party2556.470New
Independents87222.122+1
Speaker and Attorney General2
Total3,942100.00110
Valid votes3,94298.04
Invalid/blank votes791.96
Total votes4,021100.00
Registered voters/turnout5,94867.60
Source: BVI Deputy Governor's Office [2]

By constituency

1st District
CandidatePartyVotes%
H. Lavity Stoutt Virgin Islands Party 41666.14
Basil BlakePeople's Party21333.86
Total629100.00
Valid votes62998.13
Invalid/blank votes121.87
Total votes641100.00
Registered voters/turnout92969.00
2nd District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Conrad Maduro BVI United Party 9239.48
Prince StouttIndependent9139.06
Malcia Hodge Virgin Islands Party 5021.46
Total233100.00
Valid votes23396.68
Invalid/blank votes83.32
Total votes241100.00
Registered voters/turnout39860.55
3rd District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Oliver Cills Virgin Islands Party 25257.27
Alfred Christopher BVI United Party 10323.41
Earl FraserIndependent439.77
Ishmael BrathwaitePeople's Party429.55
Total440100.00
Valid votes44098.65
Invalid/blank votes61.35
Total votes446100.00
Registered voters/turnout74060.27
4th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Walwyn Brewley Independent18134.28
Elihu R. RymerIndependent11020.83
Alban Ulric Anthony Virgin Islands Party 9117.23
Ishmael P. ScatliffeIndependent6412.12
Qwominer William Osborne Independent417.77
Ulric Scatliffe BVI United Party 417.77
Total528100.00
Valid votes52895.31
Invalid/blank votes264.69
Total votes554100.00
Registered voters/turnout80169.16
5th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Cyril Romney Independent18443.19
Eileene L. Parsons Independent15837.09
Patsy Lake Virgin Islands Party 8419.72
Total426100.00
Valid votes42697.71
Invalid/blank votes102.29
Total votes436100.00
Registered voters/turnout69362.91
6th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Omar Hodge Virgin Islands Party 29464.05
Charles Mercer BVI United Party 16535.95
Total459100.00
Valid votes45998.92
Invalid/blank votes51.08
Total votes464100.00
Registered voters/turnout68867.44
7th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Terrance B. Lettsome Virgin Islands Party 22775.67
Collingston George BVI United Party 7324.33
Total300100.00
Valid votes30099.01
Invalid/blank votes30.99
Total votes303100.00
Registered voters/turnout45666.45
8th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Louis Walters Virgin Islands Party 17851.74
Willard Wheatley BVI United Party 16648.26
Total344100.00
Valid votes34498.57
Invalid/blank votes51.43
Total votes349100.00
Registered voters/turnout52166.99
9th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Ralph T. O'Neal BVI United Party 33757.80
Allen O'Neal Virgin Islands Party 24642.20
Total583100.00
Valid votes58399.32
Invalid/blank votes40.68
Total votes587100.00
Registered voters/turnout72281.30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Smith</span> British Virgin Islands politician (born 1944)

Daniel Orlando Smith, OBE is a British Virgin Islands politician and the former Premier of the British Virgin Islands from 2011 to 2019 and from 2003 to 2007. He also formerly served as Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands from 2003 to 2007. He first won the office when his National Democratic Party won the 2003 general election, being the party's first victory at a general election in its history.

The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. It is presently led by Natalio Wheatley. It is the oldest active political party in the British Virgin Islands, and it has won more general elections (seven) than any other political party in the British Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph T. O'Neal</span> British Virgin Islands politician (1933–2019)

Ralph Telford O'Neal, OBE was a British Virgin Islander politician. He was the longest ever serving elected representative in the British Virgin Islands, and served as Chief Minister or Premier of the British Virgin Islands for three terms.

The United Party was a political party of the British Virgin Islands.

General elections were 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).

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 17 May 1999. The result was a victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Ralph T. O'Neal over the newly formed National Democratic Party (NDP) led by Orlando Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the British Virgin Islands</span> Politics of a British overseas territory

Politics of the British Virgin Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Premier is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The British Virgin Islands are an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes the islands on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. The Constitution of the Islands was introduced in 1971 and amended in 1979, 1982, 1991, 1994, 2000 and 2007. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the House of Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Military defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 7 November 2011. The result was a decisive victory for the opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) led by Orlando Smith over the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP), led by Premier Ralph T. O'Neal. No minor parties or independent candidates won any seats.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 20 February 1995. The result was a victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt. The VIP won a plurality of six seats, and thus were able to form a minority government as no other party or coalition could muster a larger number of seats. The BVI United Party (UP) won three seats, and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) won two seats. The two other seats were won by independents. Shortly after the election Alvin Christopher joined the VIP upon being offered a Ministerial seat, giving the VIP an outright majority.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 12 November 1990. The result was a decisive victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Hamilton Lavity Stoutt. Three other parties contested the election: the BVI United Party (UP) led by Conrad Maduro, the newly formed Progressive People's Democratic Party (PPDP) led by former Chief Minister Willard Wheatley, and the newly formed Independent People's Movement (IPM) which fielded only two candidates. The only candidate from a party other than the VIP to be elected was Omar Hodge of the IPM in the Sixth District. Independent candidates won in the Fourth and Fifth Districts, and the VIP won every other available seat.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 11 November 1983. The result was a victory for the opposition United Party in coalition with independent candidate Cyril Romney over the governing Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by former Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt. Each major party won four seats, and Cyril Romney was the sole remaining elected independent. Accordingly, Romney allegedly agree to join a coalition with whichever party would make him Chief Minister. The VIP declined to do so, but the UP eventually agreed thereby winning the election despite securing a smaller overall percentage of the vote.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 12 November 1979. The result was a victory for the opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by former Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt over the incumbent United Party (UP) led by Willard Wheatley. The newly formed Virgin Islands National Movement (VINM), led by Elvin Stoutt, also contested the elections but did not win any seats.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 1 September 1975. The result was one of the most confused in the Territory's history, but is officially recorded as a victory for the United Party led by Willard Wheatley over the opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by former Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 2 June 1971. The result was a victory for a coalition of the VI Democratic Party (DP) together with independent candidate Willard Wheatley over the newly formed Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by former Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt, and incumbent BVI United Party (UP) led by Conrad Maduro.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 8 June 2015 to elect members to the House of Assembly. The result was a landslide victory for the incumbent National Democratic Party (NDP) over the opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP). No minor parties or independent candidates won any seats. Unusually, every single incumbent candidate who stood in their original seat was victorious.

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 14 April 1967. The election was the first general election after the passing of the new Constitution earlier in the same year, which introduced Ministerial Government into the British Virgin Islands for the first time. Elections under the prior Constitution introduced in 1950 to restore the Legislative Council had merely elected legislators. It is probably fair to say that 1967 marked the introduction of true direct democratic rule in the British Virgin Islands. But, notwithstanding the introduction of Ministerial Government, the resulting Legislative Council is still referred to as the 6th Legislative Council in deference to the five prior Councils elected under the 1950 Constitution.

Conrad Antonio Maduro is a British Virgin Islander politician and longtime leader of the United Party. Remarkably, Conrad Maduro has led his party to victory at three different general elections, but has never been appointed Chief Minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957 British Virgin Islands general election</span>

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands in 1957 for seats on the Legislative Council of the British Virgin Islands.

Events from the year 1995 in the British Virgin Islands.

References

  1. "BVI election and information results 1950-2011" (PDF). BVI Deputy Governor's Office. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014.
  2. "BVI election and information results 1950-2011" (PDF). BVI Deputy Governor's Office. pp. 95–97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014.