The Pitcairn Islands, officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four islands—Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno—are scattered across several hundred miles of ocean and have a combined land area of about 18 square miles (47 km2). Henderson Island accounts for 86% of the land area, but only Pitcairn Island is inhabited. The inhabited islands nearest to the Pitcairn Islands are Mangareva, 688 km to the west, as well as Easter Island, 1,929 km to the east.
The Pitcairn Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific Ocean, with a population of about 50. The politics of the islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Mayor is the head of government. The territory's constitution is the Local Government Ordinance of 1964. In terms of population, the Pitcairn Islands is the smallest democracy in the world.
The Island Council is the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands.
The Governor of Pitcairn is the representative of the British monarch in the Pitcairn Islands, the last remaining British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. Despite technically being under the authority of the colonial governor, Pitcairn has local autonomy.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 15 December 2004. Voters elected a mayor, a council chairman, and four councillors to sit on the island council.
The Pitcairn Supreme Court is the supreme court of the Pitcairn Islands, a British Overseas Territory. It is a superior court of record. Provisions for a supreme court were set out in amendments to the Old Constitution Order in the 1990s. The court first sat for the Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004, and its powers were further elaborated on in the Constitution Order 2010.
The Chairman of the Island Council is a position on the Island Council, which is the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands. Although the position is directly elected, the holder only sits on the Council ex officio.
A referendum on building an airfield was held in the Pitcairn Islands in March 1981. With the island only accessible by boat, around 90% voted in favour of constructing an airfield. The Island Council supported the construction of an airfield. However, construction was too expensive for the British Authorities.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 12 December 2011.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 11 December 2009. As there are no political parties on Pitcairn, the Deputy Mayor and all four candidates elected to the Island Council were independents. Simon Young became the first person not born on Pitcairn to be elected Deputy Mayor.
Mayoral elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands in December 2010. Incumbent Mike Warren was re-elected.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 8 December 2008.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 12 November 2013. Shawn Christian was elected mayor, Brenda Christian was elected deputy mayor, and five candidates were elected to the Island Council.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Pitcairn Islands since 14 May 2015. An ordinance to permit same-sex marriages was passed unanimously by the Island Council on 1 April 2015, and received royal assent by Governor Jonathan Sinclair on 5 May.
Among the fourteen British Overseas Territories, eight – Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands – recognise and perform same-sex marriages. In the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, only British military and civilian personnel can enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 26 December 1971 to elect members of the Island Council. Of the island's 91 residents, 61 were registered to vote. Voting was compulsory, with a $1 fine for failing to cast a ballot.
Mayoral elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 9 November 2016. Shawn Christian was re-elected as mayor, defeating Simon Young.
General elections were held in the Pitcairn Islands on 6 November 2019. Charlene Warren-Peu was elected as mayor, becoming the first woman to hold the position. The contest for Deputy Mayor was won by Kevin Young, whilst Lea Brown, Michele Christian, Shawn Christian, Ariel Harding and Leslie Jaques were elected to the Island Council.
Mayoral elections were held on Pitcairn Island on 9 November 2022. The result was a victory for Simon Young, who became the island's first non-native leader. He won with 19 votes to 16.
