Guernsey Press

Independents outnumber political party candidates

THE countdown is under way for the most hotly-contested election in years, with 87 candidates now registered.

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There were 10 new sign-ups yesterday, all of them were men and all but one were independents.

Today is the final day for nominations to be submitted, with an expected flurry of last-minute declarations.

As of 5pm yesterday, the totals were 58 independents and 29 political party members.

The Guernsey Partnership of Independents now has 21 candidates, the Guernsey Party has 8, but the Alliance Party Guernsey has yet to register any candidates.

Around three-quarters of the current crop of deputies have now signed up, including the presidents of six principal committees.

Deputy Barry Brehaut has declared his nomination, joining senior colleagues Gavin St Pier, Mary Lowe, Heidi Soulsby, Matt Fallaize and Charles Parkinson.

The number of male candidates so far is almost triple the number of women, with 64 men and 23 women.

Business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and Institute of Directors are keeping a keen eye on the nominations.

Kay Leslie, the executive director at Chamber, believed there was a determined attitude that Guernsey could emerge from the pandemic stronger, not weaker.

‘We sense that there is a genuine desire to see change for the better and, most importantly, to achieve tangible improvements for the whole island and its economy around innovative solutions such as built environment improvements, removal of red tape for business and practical efforts such as faster response to planning applications with positive engagement around what is acceptable and legally permissible.

‘Whilst the new electoral system brings its own challenges, including the need to scrutinise a larger than ever number of potential new deputies, Chamber always believes that collective strength is a positive.

‘We are confident that the newly-motivated electorate will ensure that the next four years are a time of health, peace and prosperity for our amazing community.

‘Guernsey has shown through its Covid response that it has the potential to be a global player and that ability needs to shine through in the approaching challenging times.’

On a practical level, Chamber has urged voters to be extremely careful when casting their votes because a ballot paper with more than 38 votes will be regarded as spoiled.

The new island-wide system has thrown up a lot of confusion about the actual nuts and bolts of filling out the ballot paper, so voters are encouraged to take their time.

John Clacy, the chairman of the Guernsey branch of Institute of Directors, underlined what a crucial moment the island stands at, with the need to find innovative answers.

‘We will be looking to the next group of deputies to deliver on the Revive and Thrive strategy and build back the economy to pre Covid-19 levels including tackling the pressing issue of climate change, finding the island’s role in a post-Brexit Europe and finding solutions to the problems presented by a skills gap and an ageing population.’

As the new States comes together, the IoD is encouraging everyone to fill out a survey on its website to establish the top priorities and most important policy areas for the new Assembly.