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 Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory and,as such,rely on the United Kingdom for the guarantee of their security. The other UK territories in the South Atlantic,South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,fall under the protection of British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI),formerly known as British Forces Falkland Islands (BFFI),which includes commitments from the British Army,Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. They are headed by the Commander,British Forces South Atlantic Islands (CBFSAI),a brigadier-equivalent appointment that rotates among all three services.
Stanley is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland,on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census,the city had a population of 2,460. The entire population of the Falkland Islands was 3,398 on Census Day on 9 October 2016.
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 Realm of New Zealand is the area over which the monarch of New Zealand is head of state. The realm is not a federation but is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand is an independent and sovereign state that has one territorial claim in Antarctica,one dependent territory (Tokelau),and two associated states. The Realm of New Zealand encompasses the three autonomous jurisdictions of New Zealand,the Cook Islands,and Niue.
Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands is disputed by Argentina and the United Kingdom. The British claim to sovereignty dates from 1690,when they made the first recorded landing on the islands,and the United Kingdom has exercised de facto sovereignty over the archipelago almost continuously since 1833. Argentina has long disputed this claim,having been in control of the islands for a few years prior to 1833. The dispute escalated in 1982,when Argentina invaded the islands,precipitating the Falklands War.
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.
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.
Richard Sawle is a British born,Falkland Islands politician,who has been Complaints Commissioner since 15 January 2014 and previously served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Stanley constituency from 2009 until 2013.
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.
Dame Alcyion Cynthia Kiro;née Simpson;born 1958) is a New Zealand public-health academic,administrator,and advocate,who has served as the 22nd governor-general of New Zealand since 21 October 2021. Kiro is the first Māori woman and the third person of Māori descent to hold the office.
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.
The hijacking of Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 648 occurred on 28 and 29 September 1966 when a group of Argentine nationalists hijacked a civilian Aerolíneas Argentinas aircraft en route from Buenos Aires to Río Gallegos and forced the captain at gunpoint to land in the Falkland Islands in protest to the UK's presence on the islands. After landing,the hijackers raised the Argentine flag,took several islanders hostage and demanded the Governor of the Falkland Islands recognise Argentine sovereignty over the islands. On 29 September 1966,after negotiating through a Catholic priest,the hijackers surrendered and were returned to Argentina for trial.
The Falkland Islands general election of 2021 was held on Thursday 4 November 2021 to elect all eight members of the Legislative Assembly through universal suffrage using block voting,with the Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands acting as returning officer. It was the fourth election since the new Constitution came into force replacing the Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly.
There were approximately 30,000 land mines laid in 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.
Dame Helen Diana Winkelmann is the 13th and current chief justice of New Zealand –head of the New Zealand judiciary –having been sworn in on 14 March 2019. She is the second woman to hold the position,following her immediate predecessor,Sian Elias.
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.
The 2021 Special Honours in New Zealand were three special honours lists,published in New Zealand on 9 August,28 September,and 21 December 2021.
