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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 governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands,acting "in His Majesty's name and on His Majesty's behalf" as the islands' de facto head of state in the absence of the British monarch. The role and powers of the governor are set out in Chapter II of the Falkland Islands Constitution. The governor in office resides at Government House,which serves as the official residence.
The Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) is the locally maintained volunteer defence unit in the Falkland Islands,a British Overseas Territory. The FIDF works alongside the military units supplied by the United Kingdom to ensure the security of the islands.
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.
ARA Drummond (P-31) is the lead ship of the Drummond class of three corvettes of the Argentine Navy. She is the second vessel to be named after Scottish-born Navy Sergeant Major Francisco Drummond.
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.
William Robert Luxton is a Falkland Islander farmer and politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Camp constituency from the 2009 general election until his resignation in 2011. Luxton was also a Member of the Legislative Council from 1989 to 2001,and served on the Executive Council of the Falkland Islands in the 1980s.
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.
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.
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.
Alicia Amalia Castro is an Argentine diplomat who served as Argentina's ambassador to the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2016.
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's 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.
Leona Lucila Vidal Roberts is a Falkland Islands curator,radio broadcaster and politician who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency since the 2017 general election. She previously served as Director and Manager of the Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust.
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.
Approximately 30,000 land mines were laid in the British overseas territory of the Falkland Islands by Argentinian forces following their 1982 invasion. Some of the mines were cleared immediately following the successful British operation to retake the islands,but following a series of accidents,demining operations ceased. In the following years the mine fields were fenced off and,with human access limited,became havens for Falklands flora and the native penguin population. The British government ratified the Ottawa Treaty in 1998 that required the removal of all mines within its territory. Demining operations,which had to be carried out by hand due to the climate and local condition,restarted in 2009. The last mines were cleared in November 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Falkland Islands is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to be in the islands on 3 April 2020. During the first wave,the number of cases peaked at 13,with all being from the military base at Mount Pleasant leaving none from the general population. All 13 patients recovered. On 10 November,a new case was discovered. As of 4 May 2022 a total of 195 people were confirmed to have been infected.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Norma Edwards OBE". The Falkland Islands Association. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ↑ "Argentine architects hope for early Memorial siteing". MercoPress. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- 1 2 Cockwell, Jenny. "Our Islands, Our Home" (PDF). Falkland Islands Government.
- ↑ "Hon. Emma Edwards". The Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
- ↑ "FI Gazette LEC/20/8". Jane Cameron National Archives. 1985.
- ↑ "News in Brief" (PDF) (90). Penguin News . 30 January 1987: 11.
- ↑ "Penguin News". Jane Cameron National Archives. 13 October 1989.
- 1 2 3 "Royal Honour for Falklands' Champion". MercoPress. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ↑ "Letter: Proudly British" . The Independent. 1999-03-21. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ↑ "SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON DECOLONIZATION REITERATES CALL ON ARGENTINA, UNITED KINGDOM TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS ON FALKLANDS/MALVINAS ISSUE | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ↑ "Hon. Roger Edwards". The Falkland Islands Government. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
- ↑ "Birthday Honours List — United Kingdom" (PDF). The London Gazette. 2006-06-17.