Falkland Islands elections

[Devonian]

A General Election will be held on 7th of November

OFFICIAL LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR FALKLANDS ELECTION ANNOUNCED

By J. Brock (FINN)

Eleven Stanley candidates and five Camp Candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for the 7 November 2013 Election. In Stanley, Mike Summers, Candy Blackley, John Birmingham, Jan Cheek, Barry Elsby, Lyn Buckland, Gavin Short, Faith Felton, Norman Clark and Michael Poole are standing for election. In Camp, Roger Edwards, Melanie Gilding, Phyl Rendell, Sharon Halford and Ian Hansen are standing.

www.falklandnews.com/public/story.cfm?get=6661

News and manifestos can be found here

www.falklandnews.com/index.cfm

[Richard Allen]

The election is FPTP based on two multi member constituencies. Stanley elects five members, Camp elects three.

[Devonian]

A little information on the last election here

The previous election was held in November 2009 when in a surprise ballot the eight members of the Assembly lost their seats and were all replaced.

The Stanley constituency voted for Dick Sawle, Gavin Short, Glen Ross and Emma Edwards, while the three from the Camp constituency were, Roger Edwards, Sharon Halford and Bill Luxton.

However in April 2011 Glen Ross stepped down, and in a by-election veteran lawmaker Mike Summers was returned to office with an overwhelming support.

Later that year two other members of the Assembly presented their resignations, Emma Edwards in October and Bill Luxton in November. Miss Edwards was leaving the Falklands and M. Luxton for personal reasons also decided to step down forcing a December by-election in Stanley and in the Camp.

Dr. Barry Elsby, a well known figure in the Falklands where he has been a doctor for over twenty years easily took the Stanley bench while Ian Hansen, a former Councillor unopposed became the third MLA representing the Camp constituency.

en.mercopress.com/2013/07/29/falklands-next-general-election-announced-for-7-november

[Devonian]

And it seems there will be some changes to the system

General elections in the Falkland Islands are held every four years and are generally fairly muted affairs compared with those in other countries; beyond evenly apportioned air time on the local radio (FIRS) and an equal allotment of words in the national weekly newspaper, Penguin News, there is little in the way of obvious campaigning: maybe a few leaflets in the post office to be picked up or discarded, but no posters, no loudspeaker vans touring the streets and no mass rallies of supporters.

Candidates for the eight available places on the Islands´ Legislative Council, from which the three voting members of the Executive Council are drawn, belong to no political parties, simply because in the Islands there are no political parties. In the past, also, while members received expenses for necessary travel and some remuneration for the number of meetings attended they received no salary as such and were free to devote as much or as little time to their official duties as they felt able or inclined to do. However, after the upcoming General Election all that will change.

Following the recommendations of a three-man panel chaired by former long-term Member of the Falklands´ Legislative Assembly, Richard Cockwell, which was set up to consider remuneration for Assembly Members, but also to attempt to define their future roles and responsibilities, the eight men or women chosen by the electorate this year will receive a salary, thought to be in the region of ₤40,000 per year. They will also be expected to work full-time, giving up whatever employment or business interests they might have had, for the duration of their time in office.

The aims behind this somewhat draconian change, which admits for the first time the possibility of politics as a profession in the Falkland Islands, were, in the main two-fold. One reason was the feeling expressed by previous Assembly Members that their work load had increased exponentially in recent years to the point where it left no time for other interests and activities.

Perceived in certain quarters as more urgent as the country begins to face up to a period of great change and growth with the establishment of an oil industry, was the need to attract into the Assembly, a younger, more accomplished set of candidates. With very few exceptions the only people available to stand for election in the past were the independently wealthy, the retired, or, some would claim, the impoverished and unemployable. The hope was that by offering a reasonable, but not excessive, salary not only would some status be added to the position of Legislative Assembly Member, but that it would encourage to consider standing a younger group, already successfully engaged in other careers.

While the final list of candidates has still to be published, it is mainly composed of former Members seeking re-election or former unsuccessful candidates seeking to be elected for the first time. Newcomers are few, including former senior civil servant Phyl Rendell, former lawyer Melanie Gilding and, as the only candidate under the age of thirty, Penguin News journalist and accomplished artist, Teslyn Barkman.

Richard Cockwell said that while he was pleased that his panel´s recommendations had been largely accepted, he was somewhat disappointed that the new arrangements did not appear to have made much difference to the type of person coming forward, “I had hoped”, he said, “that we would have had more than one of the up-and-coming younger generation who had benefited from the forward-thinking educational system standing.”

President of the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce, Roger Spink, was waiting to see how the election turned out before commenting, but ventured the opinion that he had entertained “no great hopes” that the new arrangements would “change the world immediately”, but was sure that they would have an effect in the long term.

en.mercopress.com/2013/10/17/falkland-islands-general-election-with-a-difference

[johnloony]

OFFICIAL LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR FALKLANDS ELECTION ANNOUNCED

By J. Brock (FINN)

Eleven Stanley candidates and five Camp Candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for the 7 November 2013 Election. In Stanley, Mike Summers 1, Candy Blackley 2, John Birmingham 3, Jan Cheek 4, Barry Elsby 5, Lyn Buckland 6, Gavin Short 7, Faith Felton 8, Norman Clark 9 and Michael Poole 10 are standing for election. In Camp, Roger Edwards, Melanie Gilding, Phyl Rendell, Sharon Halford and Ian Hansen are standing.

Let's hope they are better at counting the votes than counting the candidates

[erlend]

To give an example of serious commitment is the sending of 2 members each year to be on the Falklands Islands stand at the 3 main conferences. 3 hard weeks and certainly no junket. I think I have spoken to Sharon Halford 2 years in the last 3 as I am fairly sure the lady was a Camp member who lived somewhere about San Carlos.

[Devonian]

Voting at a mobile polling station

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[Devonian]

Timetable for static and mobile polling stations

[Devonian]

Stanley polling station



pic.twitter.com/zWn1l0qnFI

[greenchristian]

Nov 7, 2013 17:36:26 GMT Devonian said:

Timetable for static and mobile polling stations

That's a really strange naming scheme. Why is one of them "Mobile Team A", and the others are numbered?

[Devonian]

Oct 27, 2013 15:20:26 GMT erlend said:

To give an example of serious commitment is the sending of 2 members each year to be on the Falklands Islands stand at the 3 main conferences. 3 hard weeks and certainly no junket. I think I have spoken to Sharon Halford 2 years in the last 3 as I am fairly sure the lady was a Camp member who lived somewhere about San Carlos.

This apparently is Sharon Halford

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Nov 7, 2013 19:15:50 GMT greenchristian said:

That's a really strange naming scheme. Why is one of them "Mobile Team A", and the others are numbered?

Team A is on West Falkland; the numbered teams are on East Falkland.

[greenchristian]

Nov 7, 2013 21:16:12 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Nov 7, 2013 19:15:50 GMT greenchristian said:

That's a really strange naming scheme. Why is one of them "Mobile Team A", and the others are numbered?

Team A is on West Falkland; the numbered teams are on East Falkland.

Ah. That makes sense. Thank you.

[Devonian]

Falkland Islands Gov ‏@falklandsgov 20m

Polls have now closed in #FIGeneralElection ! In a short while, the count begins, and we'll know who the new #Falklands MLAs will be!

[Devonian]

Falkland Islands Gov ‏@falklandsgov 2m

The six vote-counters have begun processing the #Stanley votes in the #FIGeneralElection. 11 candidates, but only 5 seats available.

[Devonian]

Falkland Islands Gov ‏@falklandsgov 1m

And now the two vote-counters have started work on the #Camp votes in the #FIGeneralElection. 5 candidates running with 3 seats up for grabs

[Devonian]

Live coverage on Falklands Radio

www.firs.co.fk/live.php

[Devonian]

Turnout for Stanley Constituency

1034 Ballot papers issued at polling stations
3 Spoilt ballots
15 Postal votes
Total votes 1046

Turnout 75.4%

Camp Constituency

203 Ballot papers issued at polling stations
1 Spoilt ballot
40 Postal votes
Total votes 242

Turnout 85.5%

[Deleted]

Weird how there is no deviation from a standard British accent in any way.

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Camp is very close to a declaration; they are just verifying the ballots.