Sark general election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The Sark general election, 2008, held on 10 December 2008, was the first election held in the Channel Island
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

 of Sark
Sark
Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...

 under a new constitutional arrangement.

Fifty-seven candidates (almost 10% of the population) stood for 28 seats in the Chief Pleas. The elected members in the new Chief Pleas are titled Conseillers and have replaced the mixed system of elected People's Deputies and ex-officio Tenants in the outgoing Chief Pleas. Presidency of the Chief Pleas has been retained by the Seneschal, whose term has been extended from 3 years to for-life. The Conseillers elected in 2008 will serve for either four years or two years. Those 14 Conseillers elected for two-year mandates will serve until the next election in December 2010 when the successive mandate will be four years, thus achieving a rolling election cycle. The selection of which Conseillers elected in 2008 will serve a two-year mandate or four-year mandate was determined by random ballot.

A recount was called to take place on 11 December due to the closeness of the votes for the 28th seat.

Background

On 16 January and 21 February 2008, the Chief Pleas approved a law which introduces a 30-member chamber, with 28 elected members and two unelected members. On 9 April 2008 the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

 approved the Sark law reforms, and the new chamber convened for the first time on 21 January 2009.

Election

The first election held in Sark under the new system took place on 10 December 2008. In total, 28 Conseillers were to be elected from 57 candidates, with the latter figure representing about 12% of the electorate in the island. Each voter received 28 votes to select their preferred candidates for each of the available seats. A recount was ordered as several of the candidates for the last seat were separated by only a few votes.

The election reflected the "Sark chasm" throughout the island between those who support the traditional system and those who support further reforms.

Results

The overwhelming majority of candidates who were elected had either previously voted in Chief Pleas to enact the 2008 Reform Law, or had made public statements in support of it, and have since advocated the further dismantling of the feudal system via the reform of the ancient feudal land tenure laws.

Results from the second count were:
Position Candidate Votes Years
1 David Thomas Cocksedge 336 2
2 Rossford John de Carteret 318 4
3 Helen Mildred Plummer 302 2
4 David Woods Melling 284 2
5 Helen Clair Magell 282 4
6 Christopher Howard Bateson 280 2
7 Antony Dunks 270 4
8 Stephen Laurence Henry 266 4
9 David Pollard 263 4
9 Andrew Charles Prevel 263 4
11 Elizabeth Mary Dewe 253 4
11 Sandra Williams 253 4
13 Edric Baker 249 2
14 Paul Williams 242 4
15 Diane Baker 233 2
16 Paul Martin Armorgie 230 4
17 Andrew James Cook 228 4
18 Richard James Dewe 227 2
18 Charles Noel Donald Maitland 227 4
20 Michelle Andrée Perrée 224 2
21 Christopher Robert Nightingale 215 2
22 Janet Mary Guy 212 2
22 John Edward Hunt 212 2
24 Anthony Granville Ventress 201 2
25 Stefan Bernard Gomoll 200 2
26 Ann Atkinson 199 4
27 Christine Dorothy Audrain 185 4
28 Peter John Cole 184 2
29 Philip James Carré 179
30 Tony Eric le Lievre 178
31 William George Raymond 169
32 Peter Blayney Stisted 169
33 Bertha Helen Cole 165
34 Simon Peter Elmont 147
35 Bernard John Southern 136
36 Kevin Patrick Delaney 131
37 Peter Francis Luce Tonks 123
38 Simon Ashley Couldridge 122
39 John Trevor Greer Donnelly 118
40 Paul David Mitchell Burgess 117
41 Roger Ian Wynne Kemp 106
42 Colin Francis John Guille 104
43 Belinda Doyle 96
44 Michael Joseph Doyle 93
45 Mini McCusker 91
45 Natalie Tighe 91
47 Fiona Ann Bird 90
48 Cheryl Mary Tonks 85
49 Natalie Alexandra Criak 82
50 Daniel Walter Robert Parsons 75
51 David John Bird 74
52 Kevin Laws 70
53 Kaye Jin Mee Char 59
54 Jamie Karl John Swanson 50
55 Leigh Dianne Gibbins 45
56 Susan Christine Strachey 43
57 Javie John Dance 14


After the results of the ballot were declared, a separate ballot was held among the 28 successful Conseillers to determine which would serve for two years, and which for four years, which is indicated by the figure after the number of votes. After the initial period, Conseillers will serve four-year terms with half elected every two years.

Reaction of Barclay brothers

When it became apparent that only about five candidates they had supported had been elected, the Barclay brothers
David and Frederick Barclay
Sir David Rowat Barclay and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay are British businessmen. The identical twin brothers have very substantial business interests primarily in media, retail and property. The Sunday Times Rich List of 2007 estimated their wealth at £1.8 billion...

 announced that they were shutting down their businesses on Sark — hotels, shops, estate agents and building firms — leaving about 100 people, or a sixth of the population, out of work. The closures started almost immediately following the announcement. Diana Beaumont, the wife of Seigneur John Michael Beaumont
John Michael Beaumont
John Michael Beaumont, OBE is the 22nd Seigneur of Sark. A retired engineer, he is a son of Francis William Lionel Collings Beaumont and Enid . He succeeded his grandmother, Sibyl Hathaway, as the ruler of Sark upon her death in 1974.- References :...

, commented that "[the Barclay brothers] were the ones that started all this democracy business, now they don’t like it because they haven't won." The States of Jersey
States of Jersey
The States of Jersey is the parliament and government of Jersey.The Assembly of the States of Jersey has exercised legislative powers since 1771, when law-making power was transferred from the Royal Court of Jersey....

, sitting in session on 12 December 2008, resolved to send a message of support to its sister island of Sark.

In January 2009 the Barclays quietly began reversing the shutdown process.

External links

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