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.
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 Falkland Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 300 mi (480 km) east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about 752 mi (1,210 km) from Cape Dubouzet at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula,at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago,with an area of 4,700 sq mi (12,000 km2),comprises East Falkland,West Falkland,and 776 smaller islands. As a British overseas territory,the Falklands have internal self-governance,but the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital and largest settlement is Stanley on East Falkland.
The Legislative Council of the Falkland Islands was the unicameral legislature of the Falkland Islands from 13 November 1845 until 1 January 2009. The new constitution came into force in 2009 and replaced the Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands.
The Falkland Islands Constitution is a predominantly codified constitution documented primarily within the Falkland Islands Constitution Order 2008,a statutory instrument of the United Kingdom. The Constitution,in its present form,was made on 5 November 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II in a meeting of the Privy Council at Buckingham Palace. It was laid before Parliament on 12 November 2008 and came into force on 1 January 2009,replacing the 1985 constitution.
Nigel Robert Haywood is a British diplomat,who served as British ambassador to Estonia from 2003 until 2008 and Governor of the Falkland Islands from 2010 until 2014.
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.
Sharon Halford is a Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Camp constituency from 2009 until 2013. Halford was also a Member of the Legislative Council from 1993–2001 for Stanley.
Barry Elsby is a British born,Falkland Islands doctor and politician,who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency since a by-election in 2011 which filled the seat vacated by Emma Edwards. He won re-election in 2013 and 2017.
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.
A referendum on political status was held in the Falkland Islands on 10–11 March 2013. The Falkland Islanders were asked whether or not they supported the continuation of their status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom in view of Argentina's call for negotiations on the islands' sovereignty.
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.
Phyllis Mary Rendell is a Falkland Islands politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Camp constituency from 2013 to 2017.
Alejandro Jacobo Betts was a Falklands-born Argentine air-traffic controller and activist who worked with the Argentine government as a technical advisor on the Tierra del Fuego Malvinas Question Provincial Observatory Advisory Council. Betts supported Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands and was a controversial figure in the Falklands as a result. Betts also was the older brother of Terry Betts,who served as a member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council and assisted British forces in the Falklands War. His younger brother Peter served in the British Task Force.
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.
Stacy John Bragger is a Falkland Island journalist and politician who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency since the 2017 general election.
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.
Norma Edwards OBE is a Falkland Islands politician. She served for two decades on the Falkland Islands Legislative Council and has been described as a "noted hard-liner" in opposition to Argentine control of the islands.
