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| Politics of the British Virgin Islands |
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The British Virgin Islands has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, creating difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party. In none of the previous four elections has a candidate who was not standing for any party other than one of the two main parties won a seat (although one candidate has won running as an independent). Prior to 1999 there were a number of multi-party elections with four or more parties contesting and three or more parties winning seats.
Active parties
There are four main parties active at present in the Territory, and between them they hold all of the seats in the legislature. Two of them were formed in 2018, the other two are much older.
| Party | Founded | Leader | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Islands Party | 1971 | Natalio Wheatley | Current ruling party. General election victories in 1979, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2007, and 2019 | |
| National Democratic Party | 1999 | Marlon Penn | Current main opposition party. General election victories in 2003, 2011, and 2015 | |
| Progressive Virgin Islands Movement | 2018 | Ronnie Skelton | ||
Defunct parties
Several parties have previously held seats in the British Virgin Islands legislature but are no longer current or active.
| Party | Comments |
|---|---|
| United Party | General election victories in 1967, 1975 and 1983. Last candidate elected was Andre Penn in 1995. Last candidate to stand was Conrad Maduro in a 2005 by-election. |
| VI Democratic Party | Won the 1971 general election (together with Willard Wheatley (Ind)). Contested each general election from 1967 to 1979 except for 1975. Formed main opposition party after 1967 general election. Last won seats in 1971 (three candidates). Last candidate to stand was Q.W. Osborne in 1979. |
| People's Own Party | Never won a general election. Only contested the 1967 general election, winning one seat. |
| Independent People's Movement | Put forward two candidates in the 1990 general election; one was elected (Omar Hodge). No other electoral appearances. |
| Progressives United | Never won a general election. Put forward four candidates in the 2019 general election, winning one seat. |
Unelected parties
A number of political parties have been formed but failed to win any seats. Only one of these parties has ever contested more than a single election (one of the parties named the Concern Citizen Movement contested two general elections; an unrelated party also named the Concern Citizen Movement contested a third).
| Party | Comments |
|---|---|
| Virgin Islands Progressive Party | Contested the 1975 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| Virgin Islands National Movement | Contested the 1979 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| People's Party | Contested the 1986 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| Progressive People's Democratic Party | Contested the 1990 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| Concern Citizen Movement (first incarnation) |
Contested the 1995 general election and 1999 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| Concern Citizen Movement (second incarnation - unrelated) |
Contested the 2007 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| People's Patriotic Alliance | Contested the 2011 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| Party of the People | Contested the 2011 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| People's Empowerment Party | Formed by sitting member of the House, Alvin Christopher and contested the 2015 general election but failed to win any seats. |
| People's Coalition Movement | Contested the 2015 general election but failed to win any seats. |
Electoral history of main parties
History of the political parties who have won at least one seat at a general election.
| Party | Elections contested | Elections won |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin Islands Party | 13 1971 - 2019 |
7 1979, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2019 |
| United Party | 9 1967 - 2003 |
3 1967, 1975, 1983 |
| National Democratic Party | 6 1999 - 2019 |
3 2003, 2011, 2015 |
| VI Democratic Party | 3 1967, 1971, 1979 |
1 1971 |
| People's Own Party | 1 1967 |
0 |
| Independent People's Movement | 1 1990 |
0 |
| Positive Virgin Islands Movement | 1 2019 |
0 |
| Progressives United | 1 2019 |
0 |
See also
References
- "VIP celebrates 53 years of 'unwavering service, resilience & progress'". Virgin Islands News Online. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "Last lap! – Scores turned out for NDP motorcade". Virgin Islands News Online. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- "OFFICIAL: NDP takes victory 9-4, clinches At Large seats!". Virgin Islands News Online. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- "British Virgin Islands Election Results: Ruling NDP Wins Reelection". Caribbean Journal. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- "'Ronnie' under fire at PVIM launch". Virgin Islands News Online. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- Devitt, Conor King (15 November 2018). "Skelton splitting from NDP; guv moves election deadline up to April". BVI Beacon. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
...ran in the 2011 election as an at-large candidate with the short-lived People's Patriotic Alliance, which won no seats.
- Kampa, Dana (10 February 2023). "Elections approach, campaigns crank up". BVI Beacon. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
Prior to the 2011 election, Mr. Wheatley said he would lead a slate of candidates under his new Party of the People banner. In the end, however, he was the party's only candidate, and he lost the District Seven seat.
Political parties in the British Virgin Islands  | |
|---|---|
| Current parties | |
| Defunct parties | |