Bermudan general election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Bermudan general election was held in Bermuda
on 18 December 2007. The campaign was the longest in the history of Bermuda and was hard fought between the two political parties. The Progressive Labour Party
(PLP) won a third term in power with 22 seats, as against 14 for the opposition United Bermuda Party
(UBP).
with the introduction of a constitution in 1968 and for the first 30 years afterwards the United Bermuda Party
was in power. Their domination was broken by defeat in the 1998 election leading to the Progressive Labour Party
coming to power for the first time. The last election in 2003
saw the Progressive Labour Party remain in power, winning 22 seats compared to 14 seats for the United Bermuda Party.
Bermuda remains a British overseas territory
; independence was rejected in a referendum in 1995. However, in 2004 the then Premier of Bermuda, called for a debate on independence to take place.
Ewart Brown
became Premier in October 2006 after defeating the incumbent
, William Alexander Scott
, in a contest for the leadership of the Progressive Labour Party, while in March 2007 Michael Dunkley became leader of the opposition United Bermuda Party after the previous leader Wayne Furbert was ousted.
candidates. Altogether 42,337 people were registered to vote with each constituency
having about 1,100 voters. An opinion poll
in the summer had put the United Bermuda Party on 40%, the Progressive Labour Party on 34% and 26% undecided. Analysts saw 7 of the 36 seats as likely to be close.
The governing Progressive Labour Party campaigned on the basis of their record where they said they had increased tourism
and attracted development to Bermuda. They pledged that they would introduce free day care
, bus and ferry transportation if they were re-elected. With Bermuda having a population that was 60% of African
descent, the Progressive Labour Party said that votes for the United Bermuda Party were a vote for white people. They used the example of two black people who had left the United Bermuda Party earlier in the year after saying that the white elite was still in control of the party.
The election was seen as being partly contested on the performance of Premier Brown. The opposition described him a polarizing figure and accused him of being involved in corruption
. A police dossier had alleged there was corruption in the public housing
corporation but prosecutors said they could find any evidence of illegality. The Progressive Labour Party however described their leader as "the man who gets things done".
The United Bermuda Party criticised the Progressive Labour Party for having failed create enough affordable housing
and for their plans for enforcing racial equality
in the workplace. A former United Bermuda Party premier said that the Progressive Labour Parties plan to fine companies if they did not promote black people to senior posts could drive away many expatriate
s and companies from Bermuda. The United Bermuda Party said that they would give Bermuda citizenship to everyone who had lived in Bermuda for more than 20 years if they elected. However the Progressive Labour Party said that was a mistake which could lead to 8,000 more Bermudians.
Also at issue in the election was both party's policies over independence
for Bermuda. Premier Brown was in favour of independence but his party said that this was just a long term goal and that they would not use the election as the basis for a push for independence. The United Bermuda Party said that they would hold a referendum if they won the election and said that Bermuda should not become independent unless there was clear support in a referendum. An opinion poll
in 2007 had shown that around two-thirds of Bermudians were opposed to independence.
The campaign at six weeks was the longest ever in Bermuda and was seen as being very bitter. Polls showed the election was tight with analysts saying that they expected the result to be close. During the campaign there was an incident when someone attempted to mail a bullet to the Premier, Ewart Brown, but it was intercepted by a postal worker
, which led both parties to try and calm the campaign down.
of Devonshire East in order to try and overturn the United Bermuda Party's deficit by winning a marginal seat.
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
on 18 December 2007. The campaign was the longest in the history of Bermuda and was hard fought between the two political parties. The Progressive Labour Party
Progressive Labour Party (Bermuda)
The Progressive Labour Party is a political party in Bermuda. It has been in power since 1998, winning subsequent elections in 2003 and 2007.- Formation :...
(PLP) won a third term in power with 22 seats, as against 14 for the opposition United Bermuda Party
United Bermuda Party
The United Bermuda Party was a political party in Bermuda. It represented itself as centrist party in favor of a moderate social and fiscal agenda...
(UBP).
Background
Bermuda gained internal self governmentSelf-governance
Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization.It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e., professions, industry bodies, religions and political units , up to and including autonomous regions and...
with the introduction of a constitution in 1968 and for the first 30 years afterwards the United Bermuda Party
United Bermuda Party
The United Bermuda Party was a political party in Bermuda. It represented itself as centrist party in favor of a moderate social and fiscal agenda...
was in power. Their domination was broken by defeat in the 1998 election leading to the Progressive Labour Party
Progressive Labour Party
The Progressive Labour Party is a minor political party in Australia. The party is a broad left-wing party started by, among others, dissident former members of the Australian Labor Party in 1996. The party alleges that Labor has abandoned its traditional working-class supporters as it has moved...
coming to power for the first time. The last election in 2003
Bermudan general election, 2003
General elections were held in Bermuda on 24 July 2003. They were won by the Progressive Labour Party, which took 51.6% of the vote and 22 of the 36 seats in the House of Assembly....
saw the Progressive Labour Party remain in power, winning 22 seats compared to 14 seats for the United Bermuda Party.
Bermuda remains a British overseas territory
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
; independence was rejected in a referendum in 1995. However, in 2004 the then Premier of Bermuda, called for a debate on independence to take place.
Ewart Brown
Ewart Brown
Ewart Frederick Brown, Jr. was Premier of Bermuda and leader of the Progressive Labour Party from 2006 and 2010. He served as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Warwick South Central for 17 years until his retirement from politics in October 2010.Brown was elected leader of the ruling...
became Premier in October 2006 after defeating the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
, William Alexander Scott
William Alexander Scott
William Alexander "Alex" Scott JP, MP is a politician in Bermuda who is the MP for the Warwick South East constituency. Between 2003 and 2006 he served as the Premier of Bermuda and leader of the Progressive Labour Party ....
, in a contest for the leadership of the Progressive Labour Party, while in March 2007 Michael Dunkley became leader of the opposition United Bermuda Party after the previous leader Wayne Furbert was ousted.
Campaign
At the beginning of November 2007 the Premier, Ewart Brown, announced that the election would be held on 18 December. Both main parties put up 36 candidates and there were 2 independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidates. Altogether 42,337 people were registered to vote with each constituency
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
having about 1,100 voters. An opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
in the summer had put the United Bermuda Party on 40%, the Progressive Labour Party on 34% and 26% undecided. Analysts saw 7 of the 36 seats as likely to be close.
The governing Progressive Labour Party campaigned on the basis of their record where they said they had increased tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and attracted development to Bermuda. They pledged that they would introduce free day care
Day care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
, bus and ferry transportation if they were re-elected. With Bermuda having a population that was 60% of African
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
descent, the Progressive Labour Party said that votes for the United Bermuda Party were a vote for white people. They used the example of two black people who had left the United Bermuda Party earlier in the year after saying that the white elite was still in control of the party.
The election was seen as being partly contested on the performance of Premier Brown. The opposition described him a polarizing figure and accused him of being involved in corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
. A police dossier had alleged there was corruption in the public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
corporation but prosecutors said they could find any evidence of illegality. The Progressive Labour Party however described their leader as "the man who gets things done".
The United Bermuda Party criticised the Progressive Labour Party for having failed create enough affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
and for their plans for enforcing racial equality
Racial equality
Racial equality means different things in different contexts. It mostly deals with an equal regard to all races.It can refer to a belief in biological equality of all human races....
in the workplace. A former United Bermuda Party premier said that the Progressive Labour Parties plan to fine companies if they did not promote black people to senior posts could drive away many expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s and companies from Bermuda. The United Bermuda Party said that they would give Bermuda citizenship to everyone who had lived in Bermuda for more than 20 years if they elected. However the Progressive Labour Party said that was a mistake which could lead to 8,000 more Bermudians.
Also at issue in the election was both party's policies over independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
for Bermuda. Premier Brown was in favour of independence but his party said that this was just a long term goal and that they would not use the election as the basis for a push for independence. The United Bermuda Party said that they would hold a referendum if they won the election and said that Bermuda should not become independent unless there was clear support in a referendum. An opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
in 2007 had shown that around two-thirds of Bermudians were opposed to independence.
The campaign at six weeks was the longest ever in Bermuda and was seen as being very bitter. Polls showed the election was tight with analysts saying that they expected the result to be close. During the campaign there was an incident when someone attempted to mail a bullet to the Premier, Ewart Brown, but it was intercepted by a postal worker
Postal worker
A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the and the American Postal Workers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. In Canada, they are represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and in the United Kingdom by the...
, which led both parties to try and calm the campaign down.
Results
The results of the election saw no change from the 2003 election with the Progressive Labour Party still winning 22 seats and the United Bermuda Party 14 seats. The leader of the United Bermuda Party, Michael Dunkley, failed to win election in Smith's North losing by 444 votes to 536. He had given up his safe seatSafe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
of Devonshire East in order to try and overturn the United Bermuda Party's deficit by winning a marginal seat.