Falkland Islands general election, 2009
Encyclopedia
The Falkland Islands general election of 2009 was held on Thursday 5 November 2009 to elect members to the Legislative Assembly. It was the first general election
in the Falkland Islands
since the new constitution
came into force on 1 January 2009, which replaced the old Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly. Chief Executive
Tim Thorogood
acted as Returning Officer
.
Eight MLAs
were elected through universal suffrage
, five from the Stanley constituency and three from the Camp constituency. Each elector in Stanley could vote for five candidates, and in Camp each elector could vote for three candidates. In total 4,989 votes were cast in the election, relating to a turnout
of 1,232 (77.7% of the electorate). As no political parties
are active on the Islands, all the candidates stood as nonpartisan
s. The election result was said to be an 'upset
' as none of the incumbent MLAs
kept their seat.
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
since the new constitution
Constitution of the Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands Constitution, in its present form, was made on 5 November 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II in a meeting of the Privy Council at Buckingham palace. It was laid before Parliament on 12 November 2008 and came into force on 1 January 2009....
came into force on 1 January 2009, which replaced the old Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly. Chief Executive
Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands
The Chief Executive of the Falklands Islands is the head of government of the Falkland Islands, as well as head of the public service responsible for the efficient and effective management of the Falkland Islands Government...
Tim Thorogood
Tim Thorogood
Timothy "Tim" Rupert Thorogood is the current Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands, acting as the islands' head of government....
acted as Returning Officer
Returning Officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.-Australia:In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a State Electoral Commission who heads the local divisional office...
.
Eight MLAs
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
were elected through universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, five from the Stanley constituency and three from the Camp constituency. Each elector in Stanley could vote for five candidates, and in Camp each elector could vote for three candidates. In total 4,989 votes were cast in the election, relating to a turnout
Turnout
Turnout may refer to:* Turnout , a rotation of the leg which comes from the hips, causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the center of the body* Turnout , a British film...
of 1,232 (77.7% of the electorate). As no political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
are active on the Islands, all the candidates stood as nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
s. The election result was said to be an 'upset
Upset
An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win , is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom...
' as none of the incumbent MLAs
Falkland Islands general election, 2005
The Falkland Islands general election of 2005 was held on Thursday 17 November 2005 to elect members to the Legislative Council. It would be the last general election in the Falkland Islands before the new constitution came into force, which replaced the Legislative Council with the Legislative...
kept their seat.