The politics of the Falkland Islands takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary representative democratic dependency as set out by the constitution,whereby the Governor exercises the duties of head of state in the absence of the monarch and the Chief Executive is the head of the Civil Service,with an elected Legislative Assembly to propose new laws,national policy,approve finance and hold the executive to account.
Stanley is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland,on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census,the city had a population of 2,460. The entire population of the Falkland Islands was 3,398 on Census Day on 9 October 2016.
The Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands is the unicameral legislature of the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The Legislative Assembly replaced the Legislative Council when the new Constitution of the Falklands came into force in 2009 and laid out the composition,powers and procedures of the islands' legislature.
The Executive Council of the Falkland Islands is the policy making body of the Government of the Falkland Islands,exercising executive power by advising the Governor. It has an equivalent role to that of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom. The first Executive Council for the Falklands was inaugurated on 2 April 1845 by Governor Richard Moody.
The Falkland Islands general election of 2009 was held on Thursday 5 November 2009 to elect members to the Legislative Assembly. It was the first general election in the Falkland Islands since the new constitution came into force on 1 January 2009,which replaced the old Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly. Chief Executive Tim Thorogood acted as Returning Officer.
Emma Jane Edwards is a British born,Falkland Islands teacher and politician,who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from her election in 2009 until she resigned in 2011. She is the eldest daughter of another MLA,Roger Edwards.
Glenn Ross is a Falkland Islands engineer and politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from the 2009 general election until his resignation in 2011.
Richard Sawle is a British born,Falkland Islands politician,who has been Complaints Commissioner since 15 January 2014 and previously served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2009 until 2013.
Gavin Phillip Short is a Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2009 until 2017. He was previously a Member of the Legislative Council from 1989–1993.
Michael Victor Summers is a Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2011 to 2017. He was previously a Member of the Legislative Council from 1996–2009.
John Birmingham is a British-born Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from a by-election in 2008 until the 2009 general election. Birmingham was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council,which was reconstituted into the Legislative Assembly with the implementation of the 2009 Constitution. He was previously a Member of the Legislative Council from 1994–2005.
Ian Hansen is a Falkland Islander farmer and politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Camp constituency after winning an uncontested by-election in 2011 which filled the seat vacated by Bill Luxton. Hansen had already served on the Legislative Assembly from 2003 until 2009. He was initially elected as a member of the Legislative Council,which was reconstituted into the Legislative Assembly with the implementation of the 2009 Constitution.
The Falkland Islands general election of 2013 was held on Thursday 7 November 2013 to elect all eight members of the Legislative Assembly through universal suffrage using block voting,with each Stanley constituent having up to 5 votes and each Camp constituent having up to 3 votes. A total of 1,046 ballots were cast in Stanley,representing a turn-out of 75.4%,and 242 ballots in Camp,representing a turn-out of 85.5%. As no political parties are active in the Falklands,all the candidates stood as Independents. The Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands,Keith Padgett,acted as returning officer. It was the second election since the new Constitution came into force replacing the Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly.
The Falkland Islands general election of 2017 was held on Thursday 9 November 2017 to elect all eight members of the Legislative Assembly through universal suffrage using block voting,with each Stanley constituent having up to 5 votes and each Camp constituent having up to 3 votes. Voter turnout was 80% in Stanley and 86% in Camp.
Michael Poole is a British,Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2013 to 2017. Poole was the first member of the Legislative Assembly to have been born after the Falklands War.
Stanley is a constituency of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands which has been in existence since the first elections in the Falklands in 1949. The constituency of Stanley consists of the area that lies within 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) of the spire of Christ Church Cathedral. This covers the city of Stanley,which is the largest settlement in the Falklands representing almost 75% of the total population of the islands. Stanley is one of two constituencies in the Falklands,the other being Camp.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Falkland Islands since 29 April 2017. A law to permit same-sex couples to marry passed the Legislative Assembly on 30 March,and was given royal assent by Governor Colin Roberts on 13 April. The territory also recognises civil partnerships,open to both same-sex and different-sex couples.
Teslyn Siobhan Barkman is a Falkland Island journalist and politician who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Camp constituency since the 2017 general election. Prior to entering politics,she was a journalist for Penguin News.
Mark John Pollard is a Falkland Island politician who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency since the 2017 general election.
