2005 Anguillian general election
General elections were held in
Background
In the
Electoral system
The House of Assembly has 11 members. Seven members are directly elected by the
Campaign
Towards the end of January 2005 Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming announced that the election would be held on 21 February, with nominations required by the 8 February.[3] A record 25 candidates put themselves up for election by the 7,560 eligible voters.[4][5]
The governing
Three opposition parties, the Anguilla Strategic Alliance, Anguilla United Movement and Anguilla Progressive Party fielded candidates. Opposition leader Edison Baird of the Anguilla Strategic Alliance said that the government had not been open enough in explaining how the development project would benefit ordinary Anguillans. Opposition parties also criticised tax concessions given to the company who would be building the luxury hotel.[4]
Results
All 6 incumbents who sought re-election kept their seats in the election. The only change took place in Valley North where the previous representative, Eric Reid, stood down and was succeeded by Evans McNeil Rogers.[6]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anguilla United Front | 2,177 | 39.09 | 4 | 0 | |
Anguilla United Movement | 1,088 | 19.54 | 1 | –1 | |
Anguilla Strategic Alliance | 1,076 | 19.32 | 2 | New | |
Anguilla Progressive Party | 497 | 8.92 | 0 | New | |
Independents | 731 | 13.13 | 0 | –1 | |
Appointed members | 4 | +2 | |||
Total | 5,569 | 100.00 | 11 | +2 | |
Valid votes | 5,569 | 98.92 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 61 | 1.08 | |||
Total votes | 5,630 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 7,558 | 74.49 | |||
Source: Caribbean Elections |
Aftermath
The day after the elections was declared a national holiday and the four elected members of the Anguilla United Front were sworn into government by the Governor Alan Huckle.[6] Following the election, Albert Hughes, left the Anguilla Strategic Alliance and joined the government. This meant the opposition was evenly split between the Anguilla Strategic Alliance and the Anguilla United Movement, so the Governor did not appoint a Leader of the Opposition.[7][8]
References
- ^ "United Kingdom - Anguilla". Commonwealth of Nations. Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ "New opposition leader appointed in Anguilla". Caribbean Net News. 2004-05-26. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ a b c "Anguillans go to polls". BBC Online. 2005-01-29. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ The Jamaica Observer. 2005-02-22. Retrieved 2009-02-23. [dead link]
- The Jamaica Observer. 2005-02-23. Retrieved 2009-02-24. [dead link]
- ^ a b "THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN AUF Government Sworn In, Full Ceremony Later". The Anguillian. 2005-02-24. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ "MINISTERIAL PORTFOLIOS, OTHER POSTS ANNOUNCED". The Anguillian. 2005-03-18. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ "ALBERT HUGHES JOINS GOVERNMENT ANSA Leaders Disagrees With Decision". The Anguillian. 2005-03-04. Retrieved 2009-02-24.