Rush of nominations for first island-wide election

At 5pm yesterday, 30 new candidates and former deputies had declared their names for the ballot paper, and 19 sitting deputies had also registered that they were standing again.

Of the 49, there were 29 independents and 20 who were part of a political party.

The Guernsey Partnership of Independents had fielded 15 candidates, the Guernsey Party had 5, and the Alliance Party Guernsey had yet to declare anyone.

The number of male candidates was more than double the women candidates, the gender split was 34 men and 15 women.

On the first day of nominations for the 2016 election there were 37 candidates, so interest in becoming a deputy now seems to be higher.

Nominations will close at 4pm on Friday, and the island goes to the polls on 7 October.

There are 38 seats at stake, and 31,301 islanders eligible to vote.

This election has been described as the most important in generations because the new Assembly will have to deal with the economic fallout from Covid-19, as well as plotting a new vision for growth and prosperity.

Another feature which makes this election historic is it is the first to be held on an island-wide basis, as the old system of seven electoral districts has been ripped up.

When nominations opened at 9am yesterday there were 10 candidates in the queue, including four sitting deputies.

At the front of the queue was Deputy Al Brouard, who had arrived just before 7am with a fold-up chair.

He gave his take on how the run-up to 7 October would take shape.

‘I think everybody will have different ways of campaigning, it will be a challenge for some, and possibly a little bit easier for those who are already incumbent because they probably have a slightly greater profile, but it will certainly be interesting.’

Second in line was Deputy Mary Lowe, who outlined what she thought would be the main talking points on the doorstep.

‘I think the economy is very important to islanders right now, and education, there are several issues which are key.’

That view was echoed by former deputy Yvonne Burford who was next in the queue.

‘It has to be the economy because of Covid, also we’ve got Brexit coming down the road towards us, and education is on a lot of people’s minds after the last two terms of uncertainty, and I think the environment is there as well.’

The mood in the queue was upbeat and good-natured, with candidates sharing tips on everything from best footwear for the campaign trail to how to get hold of the electoral roll.