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.
The National Democratic Party is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. In the 2019 general election the NDP was voted out of office;it most recently held power after winning the 2015 general election.
The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands. It is presently led by Natalio Wheatley. It is the oldest active political party in the British Virgin Islands,and it has won more general elections (seven) than any other political party in the British Virgin Islands.
Ralph Telford O'Neal,OBE was a British Virgin Islander politician. He was the longest ever serving elected representative in the British Virgin Islands,and served as Chief Minister or Premier of the British Virgin Islands for three terms.
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).
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 17 May 1999. The result was a victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Ralph T. O'Neal over the newly formed National Democratic Party (NDP) led by Orlando Smith.
The Premier of the Virgin Islands is the head of government for the British Virgin Islands. As a British Overseas Territory,the Premier is appointed by the Governor on behalf of the British monarch,currently King Charles III. Until 2007,the head of government was known as the Chief Minister of the Virgin Islands,but a constitutional change in 2007 renamed the position as Premier.
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.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 20 February 1995. The result was a victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt. The VIP won a plurality of six seats,and thus were able to form a minority government as no other party or coalition could muster a larger number of seats. The BVI United Party (UP) won three seats,and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) won two seats. The two other seats were won by independents. Shortly after the election Alvin Christopher joined the VIP upon being offered a Ministerial seat,giving the VIP an outright majority.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 12 November 1990. The result was a decisive victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt. Three other parties contested the election:the BVI United Party (UP) led by Conrad Maduro,the newly formed Progressive People's Democratic Party (PPDP) led by former Chief Minister Willard Wheatley,and the newly formed Independent People's Movement (IPM) which fielded only two candidates. The only candidate from a party other than the VIP to be elected was Omar Hodge of the IPM in the Sixth District. Independent candidates won in the Fourth and Fifth Districts,and the VIP won every other available seat.
Snap general elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 17 November 1986. The result was a victory for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt over the United Party (UP). Subsequent to the election,Ralph T. O'Neal became leader of the opposition despite not being head of the UP.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 12 November 1979. The result was a victory for the opposition Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by former Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt over the incumbent United Party (UP) led by Willard Wheatley. The newly formed Virgin Islands National Movement (VINM),led by Elvin Stoutt,also contested the elections but did not win any seats.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 2 June 1971. The result was a victory for a coalition of the VI Democratic Party (DP) together with independent candidate Willard Wheatley over the newly formed Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by former Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt,and incumbent BVI United Party (UP) led by Conrad Maduro.
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.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 14 April 1967. The election was the first general election after the passing of the new Constitution earlier in the same year,which introduced Ministerial Government into the British Virgin Islands for the first time. Elections under the prior Constitution introduced in 1950 to restore the Legislative Council had merely elected legislators. It is probably fair to say that 1967 marked the introduction of true direct democratic rule in the British Virgin Islands. But,notwithstanding the introduction of Ministerial Government,the resulting Legislative Council is still referred to as the 6th Legislative Council in deference to the five prior Councils elected under the 1950 Constitution.
Conrad Antonio Maduro is a British Virgin Islander politician and longtime leader of the United Party. Remarkably,Conrad Maduro has led his party to victory at three different general elections,but has never been appointed Chief Minister.
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 28 November 1963 for seats on the Legislative Council of the British Virgin Islands.
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.
