2003 British Virgin Islands general election

Last updated

2003 British Virgin Islands general election
Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg
  1999 16 June 2003 (2003-06-16) 2007  

13 of the 15 seats in the House of Assembly
7 seats needed for a majority
Turnout72%
 First partySecond party
  D. Orlando Smith (cropped).jpg Ralph T. O'Neal (cropped).jpg
Leader Orlando Smith Ralph T. O'Neal
Party NDP VIP
Leader since19991995
Leader's seatAt-large9th District
Last election38.14%, 5 seats36.74%, 7 seats
Seats won85
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 3Decrease2.svg 2
Percentage52.39%42.22%

Chief Minister before election

Ralph T. O'Neal
VIP

Elected Chief Minister

Orlando Smith
NDP

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 16 June 2003. It was won by the opposition National Democratic Party (NDP), which took 54.4% of the vote and 8 of the 13 available seats on the Legislative Council. After the election the NDP formed a Government for the first time in its history. Both major parties - the NDP and the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) actually increased their share of the overall vote at the expense of minority parties and independents. No independents or any minority parties won any seats. The NDP won all four of the territorial-at-large seats.

Contents

Results

The NDP's victory was largely as a result of sweeping all four of the At-large seats. However, with each voter being able to cast four votes per ballot, the margin between the bottom NDP candidate (Paul Wattley) and the top VIP candidate (Reeial George) was a mere 41 votes, out of a total of 7,351 ballots cast (a margin of 0.5%). The other key win for the NDP was in the Fifth District where Delores Christopher carried the seat for the NDP by a wafer thin margin of just 3 votes in a constituency where a total of 20 ballots were rejected by elections officers.

Voters exercised a largely binary choice between the two main parties. No third party candidate or independent polled well in any area. In the Territorial seats, Alred Frett in the Fifth District was the highest vote-getter, with a mere 7.1% of the votes. In the At-large seats, the top eight spots went to the four candidates for each of the two main parties, with a massive drop off in numbers of votes for the ninth place candidate (Conrad Maduro, a former elected representative on the United Party ticket).

PartyDistrictAt-largeTotal
seats
+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
National Democratic Party 3,39046.59415,29552.3948+3
Virgin Islands Party 3,79952.21512,32542.2205–2
United Party 5902.02000
Independents871.2009843.37000
Speaker and Attorney General20
Total7,276100.00929,194100.004150
Valid votes7,27698.757,33699.80
Invalid/blank votes921.25150.20
Total votes7,368100.007,351100.00
Registered voters/turnout10,18472.3510,18072.21
Source: Elections in the Virgin Islands

District seats

1st District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Andrew Fahie Virgin Islands Party 55871.45
Archibald Christian National Democratic Party 22328.55
Total781100.00
Valid votes78199.24
Invalid/blank votes60.76
Total votes787100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,15468.20
2nd District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Alvin Christopher National Democratic Party 50768.79
Kelvin Thomas Virgin Islands Party 23031.21
Total737100.00
Valid votes73799.33
Invalid/blank votes50.67
Total votes742100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,10567.15
3rd District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Julian Fraser Virgin Islands Party 47359.27
Michael Thomas National Democratic Party 32540.73
Total798100.00
Valid votes79899.13
Invalid/blank votes70.87
Total votes805100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,05876.09
4th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Mark Vanterpool Virgin Islands Party 51160.26
Audley Maduro National Democratic Party 33739.74
Total848100.00
Valid votes84898.60
Invalid/blank votes121.40
Total votes860100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,17273.38
5th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Delores Christopher National Democratic Party 36246.53
Ethlyn Smith Virgin Islands Party 35946.14
Alred FrettIndependent577.33
Total778100.00
Valid votes77897.49
Invalid/blank votes202.51
Total votes798100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,22265.30
6th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Omar Hodge Virgin Islands Party 48955.89
Walwyn Brewley National Democratic Party 35640.69
Leopold RichardsonIndependent303.43
Total875100.00
Valid votes87598.43
Invalid/blank votes141.57
Total votes889100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,28968.97
7th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Kedrick Pickering National Democratic Party 45263.22
Clinton George Virgin Islands Party 26336.78
Total715100.00
Valid votes71599.31
Invalid/blank votes50.69
Total votes720100.00
Registered voters/turnout94176.51
8th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Lloyd Black National Democratic Party 45858.87
Ray George Virgin Islands Party 32041.13
Total778100.00
Valid votes77898.86
Invalid/blank votes91.14
Total votes787100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,01077.92
9th District
CandidatePartyVotes%
Ralph T. O'Neal Virgin Islands Party 59661.70
Hubert O'Neal National Democratic Party 37038.30
Total966100.00
Valid votes96698.57
Invalid/blank votes141.43
Total votes980100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,23379.48

At-large seats

CandidatePartyVotes%
Orlando Smith National Democratic Party 4,30014.73
Ronnie W. Skelton National Democratic Party 4,16514.27
Eileene Parsons National Democratic Party 3,51512.04
Paul P. Wattley National Democratic Party 3,31511.36
Reeial George Virgin Islands Party 3,27411.21
Irene Penn-O'Neal Virgin Islands Party 3,15710.81
Elvis Harrigan Virgin Islands Party 3,12810.71
Roy Pickering Virgin Islands Party 2,7669.47
Conrad Maduro BVI United Party 5902.02
John I. ClineIndependent4501.54
Henry Einstein KettleIndependent2200.75
Richard Courtney de CastroIndependent1720.59
Eileene E. BaronvilleIndependent1420.49
Total29,194100.00
Valid votes7,33699.80
Invalid/blank votes150.20
Total votes7,351100.00
Registered voters/turnout10,18072.21

Related Research Articles

Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which the candidate in an electoral district who poll more than any other are elected.

Block voting, also known as bloc voting, refers to certain electoral systems where multiple candidates are elected simultaneously. They do not guarantee minority representation and allow a group of voters to ensure that only their preferred candidates are elected. In these systems, a voter can select as many candidates as there are open seats. That is, the voter has as many votes to cast as the number of seats to fill. The block voting systems are among various election systems available for use in multi-member districts where the voting system allows for the selection of multiple winners at once.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Canadian federal election</span>

The 2004 Canadian federal election was held on June 28, 2004, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority but was able to continue in office as a minority government after the election. This was the first election contested by the newly amalgamated Conservative Party of Canada, after it was formed by the two right-of-centre parties, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance.

<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.

Regular elections in Croatia are mandated by the Constitution and legislation enacted by Parliament. The presidency, Parliament, county prefects and assemblies, city and town mayors, and city and municipal councils are all elective offices. Since 1990, seven presidential elections have been held. During the same period, ten parliamentary elections were also held. In addition, there were nine nationwide local elections. Croatia has also held three elections to elect members of the European Parliament following its accession to the EU on 1 July 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Canadian federal election</span>

The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 39th Parliament of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in the British Virgin Islands</span>

Elections in the British Virgin Islands are conducted to elect members to the House of Assembly. In the British Virgin Islands elections are not conducted in relation to appointments to either the Executive or Judicial branches of Government, and there are no other publicly elected posts in the British Virgin Islands. Most elections are conducted as general elections, which under the Constitution are required to be held every four years, or as by-elections when a member of the House of Assembly dies or steps down. Since the re-introduction of democracy into the British Virgin Islands in 1950 there have been fifteen general elections, and three recorded by-elections. The last election was held on 25 February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Puerto Rico</span> Political elections for public offices in Puerto Rico

Elections in Puerto Rico are guaranteed by Article Six of the Constitution of Puerto Rico and the Electoral Code of Puerto Rico for the 21st Century Act. All processes are overseen and managed in whole by the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission; an autonomous agency of the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Seychellois parliamentary election</span> Legislative election held in Seychelles

Parliamentary elections were held in Seychelles from 29 September to 1 October 2011. The elections were boycotted by all the main opposition parties. As a result, the People's Party won 33 of the 34 seats in the National Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beirut II (2009)</span> Parliamentary constituency in Lebanon

Beirut II was a parliamentary constituency in Lebanon. It covered three neighbourhoods (quartiers) in the north-eastern parts of the capital; Port, Medawar and Bachoura. The constituency elected four members of the National Assembly. Two of the Beirut II MPs had to be Armenian Orthodox, 1 Sunni Muslim and 1 Shia Muslim. The constituency was created with the 2008 Doha Agreement, ahead of the 2009 parliamentary election.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 British Virgin Islands general election</span>

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 25 February 2019. For the first time, four parties with at least one incumbent member were contesting an election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 British Virgin Islands general election</span>

General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 24 April 2023. The governing Virgin Islands Party (VIP) remained the largest party in the House of Assembly but lost its majority resulting in a hung parliament.

References