Jersey,officially known as the Bailiwick of Jersey,is an island country and self-governing British Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the largest of the Channel Islands and is 14 miles (23 km) from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. The Bailiwick consists of the main island of Jersey and some surrounding uninhabited islands and rocks including Les Dirouilles,Les Écréhous,Les Minquiers,and Les Pierres de Lecq.
The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency,unitary state and parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional monarchy. The head of the civil administration and judiciary is the Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq,while the Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham is the head of government. The current monarch and head of state is King Charles III.
Elections in Jersey take place for the States Assembly and at parish-level. Various parties have been formed over the years in Jersey,but few candidates stand for election affiliated to any political party. All elections in Jersey use the first-past-the-post voting system. In 2008,the voting age was reduced to 16 years.
The Jersey Battle of Flowers is an annual carnival held in the Channel Island of Jersey on the second Friday and Saturday of August. The festival consists of music,funfairs,dancers,majorettes and a parade of flower floats alongside various street entertainers. It was inaugurated in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The largest attendance to date is thought to be that of 1969 when 60,000 people were present. Current spectator numbers are around 20,000.
Sir Philip Martin Bailhache KC is a Jersey politician and lawyer who has served as a Deputy for St Clement since 2022 and the leader of the Jersey Liberal Conservatives party.
The Centre Party was a registered political party in Jersey between 2005 and 2007.
The Chief Minister of Jersey is the head of government of Jersey,leading the Council of Ministers,which makes up part of the Government of Jersey. The head of government is not directly elected by the people but rather by the legislature,the States Assembly.
Progress Jersey is a charity and pressure group in Jersey. It was formed in November 2005 by Darius J. Pearce,Daren O'Toole and Gino Risoli. The original aim of Progress Jersey was to encourage electoral participation however it soon became a regular contributor to the Scrutiny process and has lobbied primarily on issues relating to compliance with the European Convention of Human Rights.
Stuart Syvret is a former Jersey politician. He held elected office as a member of the States Assembly from 1990 to 2010. From 1999 to 2007,Svyret had executive responsibilities first as president of the Health and Social Services Committee and,after the 2005 constitutional reforms,as Minister for Health and Social Services in the Council of Ministers. He was dismissed from ministerial office in September 2007 and returned to the backbenches until he was disqualified from membership of the States in April 2010 due to his absence from the island. He has been involved in a series of legal proceedings,as a defendant in a criminal prosecution in Jersey and as a claimant in judicial review and civil claims in Jersey and London.
Darius James Pearce is a Jersey businessman and former politician who was imprisoned for money laundering.
General elections were held in Jersey in two stages in October and November 2008.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Jersey since 1 July 2018. The States Assembly passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry on 1 February 2018. Royal assent was granted on 23 May 2018,and the law took effect on 1 July.
Ian Joseph Gorst is a Jersey politician who has been a Deputy for St Mary,St Ouen and St Peter and Minister for Treasury and Resources since 2022.
Ike Ekweremadu is a Nigerian politician and a lawyer who hails from Enugu State and served in the Senate of Nigeria for Enugu West from 3 June 2003 to 5 May 2023. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party,and was the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate for three (3) consecutive senate. On 23 June 2022,Ekweremadu and his wife were charged in the UK with conspiring to arrange the travel of a 21 year old into the UK in order to harvest organs. He was found guilty on 23 March 2023 at the Old Bailey. On 5 May 2023,he was sentenced to nine years and eight months imprisonment.
The Council of Ministers is the collective decision-making body of the Government of Jersey,formed by the Ministers of the States of Jersey and the Chief Minister. The council co-ordinates policies and administration,especially policy affecting two or more ministers,prioritises executive and legislative proposals,and presents a "Strategic Plan for Jersey" for approval by the States Assembly.
Jeremy Martin Maçon is a Jersey politician who served as one of the Deputies in the St Saviour No. 1 constituency between 2008 and 2022.
Alan John Henry Maclean is a former Jersey politician. He was the Minister for Treasury and Resources,and before that the Minister for Economic Development. He was first elected to the States of Jersey,as a Deputy for Saint Helier,in the Jersey 2005 general election. He did not seek re-election in the 2018 elections and was superseded by Susie Pinel.
The External relations of the Bailiwick of Jersey are conducted by the External Relations department of the Government of Jersey. Jersey is not an independent state;it is a British Crown dependency,so internationally the United Kingdom is responsible for protecting the island and for consulting Jersey on international trade agreements but it is not a British territory.
Healthcare in Jersey is provided by a range of publicly and privately owned providers. Health matters are overseen by the Department of Health and Community Services in the Government of Jersey. The current Health Minister is Deputy Richard Renouf.
The Bailiwick of Jersey has an unwritten constitution arising from the Treaty of Paris (1259). When Henry III and the King of France came to terms over the Duchy of Normandy,the Norman mainland the suzerainty of the King of France. The Channel Islands however remained loyal to the British crown due to the loyalties of its Seigneurs. But they were never absorbed into the Kingdom of England by any Act of Union and exist as "peculiars of the Crown".
