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Contributes towards 6 seats to the European Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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European Parliament elections were held in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar (which formed part of the European Parliament constituency of South West England) on 23 May 2019. [1] They were held as part of the European Union-wide elections after the date of United Kingdom withdrawal was delayed by the UK government. [2] This was Gibraltar's final participation in a European Parliament election before the withdrawal took place on 31 January 2020.
Gibraltar's European Union Withdrawal Act was passed in March 2019 with the support of the governing GSLP–Liberal coalition and an independent MP. The opposition Gibraltar Social Democrats originally did not intend to support the bill but later voted for it, but against parts of the legislation. [3] [4]
The withdrawal agreement is supported by the governing GSLP-Liberal coalition, [5] but opposed by the opposition Gibraltar Social Democrats. [6]
According to the Gibraltar newspaper Panorama , there had been a rise in Euroscepticism in Gibraltar since Spain was given a veto by the EU over Gibraltar's participation in the withdrawal agreement. [7]
Candidates from the Brexit Party, Liberal Democrats, English Democrats and UKIP visited Gibraltar to campaign in the elections. The Liberal Democrat lead candidate for the constituency accepted that there was "anger and frustration" with regards to the EU's actions towards Gibraltar after the referendum result, but stated that she felt the party's anti-Brexit message was being received well. [8]
Brexit Party candidate, James Glancy expressed concerns over the ramifications for Gibraltar of European federalisation, the Common Security and Defence Policy and influence of Spanish politicians in the EU in the event that Brexit would not happen. [9]
The result was a win for the Liberal Democrats, reflecting "clearly pro-EU and pro Remain" sentiment and with the Brexit Party taking second place, which "reflects not just frustration with the stagnated Brexit process, but also anger at the way the EU has backed Spain during the withdrawal negotiations", according to the Gibraltar Chronicle . [10]
Party | Votes | % | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | 7,220 | 77.38 | +10.22 | |
Brexit Party | 746 | 7.99 | New | |
Green Party | 467 | 5.00 | +3.83 | |
Labour Party | 411 | 4.40 | –4.78 | |
Conservative Party | 256 | 2.74 | –14.47 | |
UKIP | 84 | 0.90 | –3.14 | |
Change UK | 77 | 0.83 | New | |
English Democrats | 59 | 0.63 | +0.30 | |
Independents | 11 | 0.12 | New | |
Total | 9,331 | 100.00 | – | |
Valid votes | 9,331 | 98.83 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 110 | 1.17 | ||
Total votes | 9,441 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 23,726 | 39.79 | ||
Source: Parliament |
The Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) is a liberal-conservative, centre-right political party in Gibraltar. The GSD was the governing party for four successive terms in office under the leadership of Peter Caruana, from the 1996 general election until the party's electoral defeat in the 2011 election by the GSLP–Liberal Alliance.
The Liberal Party of Gibraltar is a liberal political party in Gibraltar. It was founded in 1991 as the Gibraltar National Party and is led by Dr. Joseph Garcia. The LPG forms the GSLP–Liberal Alliance in partnership with the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party.
The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its roots are based in the trade union movement, as its founder and former leader Joe Bossano was the District Officer of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). The party has been led since 2011 by Fabian Picardo, who has served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar since the 2011 general election. The GSLP forms the GSLP–Liberal Alliance in partnership with the Liberal Party of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar elects on the national level a legislature. The Gibraltar Parliament has 17 members, all elected for a four-year term in one constituency with each voter getting to vote for their selection of ten candidates. Gibraltar forms a single constituency but voters have only ten votes. Hence the electoral bloc with the most votes will normally get ten seats and the runners up seven.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 11 October 2007. The incumbent Chief Minister Peter Caruana narrowly won a fourth term, but opposition leader Joe Bossano had a very strong showing. Joe Bossano noted that this would be his last term as an MP, and joked that he would not join the government, despite receiving a higher personal vote than some members of the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD).
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Keith Azopardi is a Gibraltarian lawyer and politician serving as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats since 2017.
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A by-election was held to the Gibraltar Parliament on 4 July 2013 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Housing Minister Charles Bruzon in April 2013. The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP), Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and an independent contested the by-election. The Liberal Party of Gibraltar who is in alliance and in Government with the GSLP backed the GSLP's candidate.
General elections were held in Gibraltar on 26 November 2015 to elect all 17 members to the third Gibraltar Parliament. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo announced the date of the election on Monday 19 October 2015 during a speech on the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.
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The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2019, also known as the Repeal Bill is an Act of the Gibraltar Parliament announced by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, that transposed directly-applicable European Union law into the law of Gibraltar as part of the UK's exit from the European Union (Brexit). It has the same effect as the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Change UK, founded as The Independent Group (TIG) and later The Independent Group for Change, was a British centrist, pro–European Union political party, which lasted for ten months in 2019. Established in February and formally recognized as a party in May, it was dissolved in December after all its MPs lost their seats at that year's general election. Its principal aim was a second withdrawal referendum on European Union membership, in which it would campaign to remain in the EU. On economic issues it expressed a commitment to the social market economy.
A referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, also referred to as a "second referendum", a "rerun", a "people's vote", or a "confirmatory public vote", was proposed by a number of politicians and pressure groups as a way to break the deadlock during the 2017–19 Parliament surrounding the meaningful vote on the Brexit deal.
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