2017 Falkland Islands general election
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2017 Falkland Islands general election
| country = Falkland Islands
| type = legislative
| ongoing = no
| election_date = {{Start date|2017|11|9|df=y}}
| previous_election = 2013 Falkland Islands general election
| previous_year = 2013
| next_election = 2021 Falkland Islands general election
| next_year = 2021
| seats_for_election = All 8 members to the legislative assembly
| majority_seats = 5
| party1 = Nonpartisan politician
| seats1 = 8
| map_image = Falkland_Islands_general_election_2017_-_Results_by_Constituency.svg
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map =
| map_caption = Winning and losing candidates by constituency.
| title =
| before_election =
| after_election =
}}
{{Politics of the Falkland Islands}}
The Falkland Islands general election of 2017 was held on Thursday 9 November 2017{{cite news |title=Falklands' preparations and registration for November 9 General Election |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2017/09/01/falklands-preparations-and-registration-for-november-9-general-election |newspaper=MercoPress |date=1 September 2017 |access-date=2017-09-01}} to elect all eight members of the Legislative Assembly (five from the Stanley constituency and three from the Camp constituency) through universal suffrage using block voting, with each Stanley constituent having up to 5 votes and each Camp constituent having up to 3 votes. Voter turnout was 80% in Stanley and 86% in Camp.{{cite news |title=Falkland Islands Elects New Legislative Assembly |url=http://en.mercopress.com/2017/11/10/falkland-islands-elects-new-legislative-assembly |newspaper=MercoPress |date=10 November 2017 |access-date=2017-11-11}}
It was the third election since the new Constitution came into force replacing the Legislative Council (which had existed since 1845) with the Legislative Assembly. As no political parties are active in the Falklands, all the candidates stood as Independents. Incumbent members Jan Cheek, Michael Poole, Phyllis Rendell and Mike Summers did not put their names forward for reelection.{{cite news |title=17 candidates finally declare |url=http://www.penguin-news.com/index.php/headlines/all-headlines/15-politics/113-17-candidates-finally-declare |newspaper=Penguin News |date=2017-10-23 |accessdate=2017-10-29 |archive-date=30 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030003623/http://www.penguin-news.com/index.php/headlines/all-headlines/15-politics/113-17-candidates-finally-declare |url-status=dead }} Only three members of the previous assembly won reelection, with Ian Hansen being the only incumbent member to increase his percentage of the vote.
Campaign
Under section 32 of the Constitution of the Falkland Islands, a general election did not need to take place until 19 January 2018. However, in August 2017 the Legislative Assembly announced that an early general election was being planned for 9 November 2017 (almost exactly four years after the previous general election of 2013). The closing date for voter registration and applications for postal and proxy votes was noon FKST on 19 October 2017 and the deadline for nomination as a candidate in the election was 16:15 FKST on 20 October 2017.
As well as attending hustings, each candidate gave a fifteen-minute televised interview to former member of the Legislative Assembly, Richard Cockwell, which was broadcast on the Falkland Islands Television Service.{{YouTube|p=PLNCWLpAWyn97ffch3s-od6px0lvXV3KdB|General Election 2017: Meet the Candidates}}
Results
Incumbent members are in italics.
= Stanley constituency =
{{Election box begin for list| title= Stanley}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Roger Kenneth Spink 16px
|votes = 651
|percentage = 14.98
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Leona Lucila Vidal Roberts 16px
|votes = 559
|percentage = 12.86
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Mark John Pollard 16px
|votes = 534
|percentage = 12.29
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Stacy John Bragger 16px
|votes = 476
|percentage = 10.95
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Barry Elsby 16px
|votes = 404
|percentage = 9.30
|change = -9.50
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Gavin Phillip Short
|votes = 382
|percentage = 8.79
|change = -8.98
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = David Patrick Peck
|votes = 376
|percentage = 8.65
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Corina Rose Ashbridge
|votes = 259
|percentage = 5.96
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Louise Ellis
|votes = 232
|percentage = 5.34
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = John Birmingham
|votes = 221
|percentage = 5.09
|change = -0.91
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Jason Lewis
|votes = 97
|percentage = 2.23
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Marvin Thomas Clarke
|votes = 90
|percentage = 2.07
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Carole Lynda Jane Buckland
|votes = 65
|percentage = 1.50
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout
|votes = 4346
|percentage = 80
|change = +4.6
}}
{{Election box end}}
= Camp constituency =
{{Election box begin for list| title= Camp}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Ian Hansen 16px
|votes = 149
|percentage = 27.29
|change = +8.18
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Teslyn Siobhan Barkman 16px
|votes = 139
|percentage = 25.46
|change = N/A{{#tag:ref|Barkman unsuccessfully stood for the Stanley constituency at the 2013 election.|group="nb"}}
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Roger Anthony Edwards 16px
|votes = 130
|percentage = 23.81
|change = -0.19
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan politician
|candidate = Benjamin William Cockwell
|votes = 128
|percentage = 23.44
|change = N/A
}}
{{Election box turnout
|votes = 546
|percentage = 86
|change = +0.8
}}
{{Election box end}}
Notes
{{reflist|group=nb}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Falkland Islands elections}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkland Islands general election,2017}}
Category:2017 elections in British Overseas Territories