1995 British Virgin Islands general election
General elections were held in the British Virgin Islands on 20 February 1995. The result was a victory for the incumbent Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt. The VIP won a plurality of six seats, and thus were able to form a minority government as no other party or coalition could muster a larger number of seats. The BVI United Party (UP) won three seats, and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) won two seats. The two other seats were won by independents.[1] Shortly after the election Alvin Christopher joined the VIP upon being offered a Ministerial seat, giving the VIP an outright majority.
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13 of the 15 seats in the British Virgin Islands Legislative Council 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 69.21% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It was the first election to be fought in the British Virgin Islands after the introduction of Territorial at-large seats. Lavity Stoutt had fought hard against the introduction of at-large seats, fearing it would undermine the strong territorial base of the VIP. After his victory he said: "The at-large system was a plot, a plot designed to derail H. Lavity Stoutt. Well it failed. The people have had their say. Their voice has been heard."[2]
The 1995 general election also witnessed the first ever female representatives elected: Ethlyn E. Smith in the Fifth District, and Eileene Parsons as an At-large representative. Eileene Parsons would later join the ruling Virgin Islands Party and become the first ever female Minister for Government in the Territory.
Former Chief Minister, Willard Wheatley ran as an independent in at the at-large seats and was resoundingly rejected by the voters, only winning slightly more votes than were recorded as spoiled ballots (265 against 232).
It was the last election in the British Virgin Islands to be fought prior to the death of Lavity Stoutt.
The supervisor of elections was Eugenie Todman-Smith.[3] The turnout was 68.8%.
Results
| Party | District | At-large | Total seats | +/– | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||||
| Virgin Islands Party | 2,122 | 41.76 | 4 | 5,810 | 30.15 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
| United Party | 796 | 15.67 | 1 | 3,292 | 17.09 | 1 | 2 | +2 | |
| Concerned Citizens Movement | 1,033 | 20.33 | 2 | 2,485 | 12.90 | 0 | 2 | New | |
| Independents | 1,130 | 22.24 | 2 | 7,681 | 39.86 | 1 | 3 | +1 | |
| Speaker and Attorney General | 2 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 5,081 | 100.00 | 9 | 19,268 | 100.00 | 4 | 15 | +4 | |
| Valid votes | 5,081 | 97.41 | 5,055 | 95.61 | |||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 135 | 2.59 | 232 | 4.39 | |||||
| Total votes | 5,216 | 100.00 | 5,287 | 100.00 | |||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 7,537 | 69.21 | 7,731 | 68.39 | |||||
| Source: Elections in the Virgin Islands | |||||||||
Notable candidates
Notable candidates who were elected to the Legislature for the first time included the first two women elected to the Legislature, Ethlyn Eugenie Smith and Eileene Parsons; and future Minister, Alvin Christopher. Conversely, Willard Wheatley suffered the worst electoral defeat of his career, and would never run again. Cyril Romney was defeated for the first time since 1975, although he would run again (unsuccessfully) in 1999. Longtime legislators Oliver Cills and Terrance Lettsome were both elected, but neither would stand again after the 1995 election. Lavity Stoutt was also elected, but would die later in the same year. Andre Penn was elected for his only ever term of office; Penn would later be convicted of sexual crimes involving children and sentenced to 12 years in prison;[4] and is believed to be the only elected official in the British Virgin Islands to be subsequently convicted of an indictable offence.
Individual territorial seats
First Electoral District
| Candidate | Jost Van Dyke | Carrot Bay | Zion Hill | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H. Lavity STOUTT (VIP) | 72 | 199 | 218 | 489 | 68.3% |
| Andrew FAHIE (IND) | 7 | 50 | 140 | 197 | 27.5% |
| Harold L. VANTERPOOL (UP) | 1 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 2.2% |
| Rejected | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2.0% |
- Total number of registered voters: 1,139
- Total number of votes cast: 716
- Percentage of voters who voted: 62.9%
- Spoiled ballots: 0
Second Electoral District
| Candidate | Cane Garden Bay | Brewers Bay | New Bush | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin CHRISTOPHER (IND) | 87 | 72 | 34 | 193 | 55.9% |
| Prince MacDonald STOUTT (VIP) | 71 | 18 | 14 | 103 | 29.9% |
| Leal RYMER (UP) | 32 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 9.9% |
| Rejected | 10 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 4.3% |
- Total number of registered voters: 545
- Total number of votes cast: 345
- Percentage of voters who voted: 83.3%
- Spoiled ballots: 1
Third Electoral District
| Candidates | Meyers | Sea Cows Bay | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver CILLS (VIP) | 65 | 248 | 313 | 52.3% |
| Maxwell SMITH (UP) | 61 | 211 | 272 | 45.6% |
| Rejected | 2 | 11 | 13 | 2.2% |
- Total number of registered voters: 705
- Total number of votes cast: 598
- Percentage of voters who voted: 84.8%
- Spoiled ballots: 1
Fourth Electoral District
| Candidates | Salt Island | Road Town | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walwyn BREWLEY (CCM) | 3 | 404 | 407 | 65.8% |
| Arnando SCATLIFFE (VIP) | 0 | 173 | 173 | 28.0% |
| Donald deCASTRO (UP) | 0 | 28 | 28 | 4.5% |
| Rejected | 0 | 10 | 10 | 1.5% |
- Total number of registered voters: 912
- Total number of votes cast: 618
- Percentage of voters who voted: 67.8%
- Spoiled ballots: 3
Fifth Electoral District
| Candidates | Huntum's Ghut | Long Trench | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethlyn Eugenie SMITH (IND) | 223 | 68 | 291 | 49.0% |
| Cyril ROMNEY (IND) | 201 | 73 | 274 | 46.1% |
| Rejected | 22 | 7 | 29 | 4.9% |
- Total number of registered voters: 973
- Total number of votes cast: 594
- Percentage of voters who voted: 61.0%
- Spoiled ballots: 0
Sixth Electoral District
| Candidates | Baughers Bay | Belle Vue | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omar HODGE (CCM) | 219 | 51 | 270 | 37.4% |
| Roy E. PICKERING (UP) | 185 | 9 | 194 | 26.9% |
| Reese M. MADURO | 160 | 15 | 175 | 24.2% |
| Rejected | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.6% |
- Total number of registered voters: 955
- Total number of votes cast: 643
- Percentage of voters who voted: 67.3%
- Spoiled ballots: 0
Seventh Electoral District
| Candidates | Long Look | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence LETTSOME (VIP) | 259 | 259 | 68.3% |
| Betteto FRETT (CCM) | 104 | 104 | 27.4% |
| Rejected | 16 | 16 | 4.2% |
- Total number of registered voters: 589
- Total number of votes cast: 379
- Percentage of voters who voted: 64.3%
- Spoiled ballots: 1
Eighth Electoral District
| Candidates | East End | Hope Estate | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre PENN (UP) | 246 | 6 | 252 | 48.9% |
| Louis WALTERS (VIP) | 235 | 16 | 251 | 48.7% |
| Rejected | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2.3% |
- Total number of registered voters: 727
- Total number of votes cast: 515
- Percentage of voters who voted: 70.8%
- Spoiled ballots: 4
Ninth Electoral District
| Candidates | The Valley | North Sound | Anegada | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph T. O'NEAL (VIP) | 342 | 165 | 27 | 534 | 66.1% |
| Alan O'NEAL (CCM) | 158 | 33 | 61 | 252 | 31.2% |
| Rejected | 8 | 11 | 3 | 22 | 2.7% |
- Total number of registered voters: 992
- Total number of votes cast: 808
- Percentage of voters who voted: 81.5%
- Spoiled ballots: 5
At-large seats
Territorial At-Large Electoral District
| Position | Name | Affiliation | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eileene PARSONS | IND | 1,675 | 8.59% |
| 2 | Conrad MADURO | UP | 1,618 | 8.30% |
| 3 | Reeial GEORGE | VIP | 1,595 | 8.18% |
| 4 | Alred FRETT | VIP | 1,478 | 7.58% |
| 5 | Neil BLYDEN | VIP | 1,435 | 7.36% |
| 6 | Paul WATTLEY | IND | 1,314 | 6.74% |
| 7 | Earl P. FRASER | VIP | 1,302 | 6.68% |
| 8 | Meritt HERBERT | UP | 941 | 4.83% |
| 9 | Inez TURNBULL | IND | 922 | 4.73% |
| 10 | Hubert O'NEAL | CCM | 900 | 4.62% |
| 11 | Belsadys DONOVAN | IND | 852 | 4.37% |
| 12 | Elihu RHYMER | CCM | 793 | 4.07% |
| 13 | Carl DAWSON | CCM | 792 | 4.06% |
| 14 | Medita WHEATLEY | IND | 470 | 2.41% |
| 15 | Patsy LAKE | IND | 439 | 2.25% |
| 16 | Fletcher SCATLIFFE | IND | 439 | 2.25% |
| 17 | Ulric SCATLIFFE | UP | 388 | 1.99% |
| 18 | Aubrey LEVONS | IND | 384 | 1.97% |
| 19 | Edmund MADURO | UP | 345 | 1.77% |
| 20 | Edison O'NEAL | IND | 341 | 1.75% |
| 21 | Keith GEORGE | IND | 339 | 1.74% |
| 22 | Willard WHEATLEY | IND | 265 | 1.36% |
| 23 | Stanford CONNOR | IND | 147 | 0.75% |
| 24 | Walter deCASTRO | IND | 94 | 0.48% |
- Total votes rejected: 232
- Total valid votes: 19,287
- Total votes counted: 19,500
- Percentage of votes: 63.0%
- Total ballots: 5,287
- Total registered: 7,731
- Percentage turnout: 68.39%
References
- "BVI election and information results 1950–2011" (PDF). BVI Deputy Governor's Office. pp. 114–188. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014.
- "OBITUARY : H. Lavity Stoutt". The Independent. 23 May 1995. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
- "BVI election and information results 1950–2011" (PDF). BVI Deputy Governor's Office. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014.
- "Andre Penn convicted on 11 of 12 counts". BVI Beacon. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
Former legislator Andre Penn was convicted this week for 11 of the 12 sex crimes against a minor that he allegedly perpetrated between 2006 and 2008