National Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
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| Leader | Marlon A. Penn [1] |
| Founded | 1998 [2] |
| House of Assembly | 3 / 13 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The National Democratic Party (or NDP) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. [3] [4] In the 2019 general election the NDP was voted out of office; it most recently held power after winning the 2015 general election.
The party had only one leader for the first 19 years of its existence: Orlando Smith. [5] In June 2018 Orlando Smith announced he would be stepping down, and on 23 June Myron Walwyn was elected as the new party leader. [6] At the same time the title of the party leader was changed from Chairman to President. In February 2019, after the territory's general election Marlon A. Penn became the Party President due to Myron Walwyn not being successful in the election.
Prior to 2011 the party most recently held power after the 2003 general election held on 16 June 2003, the party won 52.4% of popular votes and 8 out of 13 elected seats. It fought that campaign on a platform offering new leadership for the 21st century and promises to clean up corruption and victimisation. The NDP garnered much credit during its time in office for taking a pro-active approach to the development of the offshore finance industry, working closely with the private sector in relation to a number of initiatives. Ultimately however, this was not sufficient to prevent a resounding defeat when it returned to the polls in 2007.
During the party's term of office following the 2003 election, the party's majority was cut to just one in May 2006 when the Hon. Alvin Christopher was removed from his position as Minister of Communications and Works, and at the next meeting of the legislative council he "crossed the floor" to sit with the opposition; both moves are believed to be related to differences of opinion in relation to the Telecommunications Bill 2006 and telecoms liberalisation programme in the British Virgin Islands generally, although neither side has given any public indication of this. Mr Christopher subsequently ran as an independent against the NDP in the 2007 election, and was returned with a handsome majority. During the party's time in office, the loss of Mr Christopher was offset by Hon. Mark Vanterpool leaving the Virgin Islands Party to join the NDP.
The party was ousted from power in the 2007 general election, [7] but was voted back into office in the 2011 general election. [8] It was then re-elected in the 2015 general election with an increased majority. [9]
| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Orlando Smith | 37.3% | 5 / 13 |  5 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 2003 | 52.4% | 8 / 13 | 3 | 1st | Majority government | ||
| 2007 | 15,836 | 39.6% | 2 / 13 |  6 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 2011 | 22,858 | 52.5% | 9 / 13 | 7 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2015 | 27,070 | 60.2% | 11 / 13 | 2 |  1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2019 | Myron Walwyn | 13,499 | 28.18% | 3 / 13 | 8 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2023 | Marlon Penn | 12,132 | 26.69% | 3 / 13 | | 3rd | Opposition |
| Current parties | |
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| Defunct parties | |
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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.
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.
Ruth Dancia Penn, is a British Virgin Islands politician and former Deputy Governor of the British Virgin Islands from 20 September 2004 to 1 April 2007. She also formerly served as the Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands from 1992 to 1999.
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).
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.
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.
Julian Fraser is a British Virgin Islander politician who formerly belonged to the opposition Virgin Islands Party in the British Virgin Islands, and in August 2018 formed a new party, Progressives United. He is the current Leader of the Opposition.
Myron Walwyn is the former Minister of Education and Culture and a Territorial At-Large Representative of the British Virgin Islands. He was elected as an "at-large" representative in the 2011 British Virgin Islands general election, garnering 4,605 votes, the 2nd highest number of votes in the election. He is a member of the National Democratic Party. Prior to election, he was appointed the Chairman of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board.
The People's Empowerment Party is a defunct political party in the British Virgin Islands, led by former House of Assembly member for the second district Alvin Christopher. Mr Christopher has previously been elected as a representative of the Virgin Islands Party, the National Democratic Party and as an independent. It has no elected representatives and may now be defunct.
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.
J. Alvin Christopher, is a politician who presently serves as leader of the People's Empowerment Party in the British Virgin Islands. He is not currently a member of the House of Assembly, but was the longstanding elected member for the second district, a position which he held from the 1995 general election until the 2015 general election.
The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Assembly that is not in government.
There are presently five principal British Virgin Islands news websites publishing news focused upon current affairs in the Territory:
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.
Andrew Alturo Fahie is a British Virgin Islands politician who served as Premier of the British Virgin Islands from 2019 to 2022. He was also the chairman of the Virgin Islands Party in the British Virgin Islands from 2016 to 2022.
Events from the year 2018 in the British Virgin Islands.
Events from the year 2019 in the British Virgin Islands.
The Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. It is presently led by Ronnie Skelton.
Events from the year 2022 in the British Virgin Islands.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 24 April 2023.
