Election recount will take place, after request from four unsuccessful candidates

The Bailiff's Chambers has confirmed that it had received the request and a recount would now take place.

It is understood the request came in the form of a joint letter from Catherine Hall, Pierre Ehmann, Scott Ogier and Garry Collins.

A spokesperson for the Bailiff said details of the recount would be announced shortly.

Current deputy Carl Meerveld managed to get the 38th seat in the 2020 election, with 6,475 votes. But several of the candidates were hot on his heels.

Former St Saviour's constable Fergus Dunlop was just 122 votes behind Deputy Meerveld, but said he did not want a recount.

'People need a bit of certainty and not to be going through recounts all the time,' he said.

'The voters have had a tough election and they don't need to be put through the mill of a recount.'

However the four candidates that came behind him - Mr Ehmann on 6,335, Mrs Hall on 6,281, Mr Ogier on 6,097 and Mr Collins on 6,076 - have submitted a joint letter requesting the recount, Mrs Hall said.

Mrs Hall said she was initially undecided, but came to a decision late this afternoon about the recount.

'It's something I have been agonising over,' she said.

'It's not on a personal basis. We had a lot of discussion, which is why it has taken to so late in the day to submit the request.'

She said they had requested it as this was the first time island-wide voting had taken place and they felt it was important to test the system.

The moves comes as an about-face for several of the unsuccessful candidates, who had earlier in the day said they were not interested in a recount.

Pierre Ehmann was just 18 votes behind Mr Dunlop but said yesterday morning he was not looking for a recount at that stage.

'I was quite chuffed to get as many votes as I did,' he said.

'I had no idea how many votes I would get.'

The rules state that if there is a difference of 2% or less between the number of votes cast for someone who got elected, and the number cast for someone who did not, the unsuccessful person has 24 hours, after the results are announced, to ask for a recount. Only one recount will take place, and those results will be final.

Guernsey's election results were announced just after 1am on Friday morning.

That means that Catherine Hall, Pierre Ehmann, Scott Ogier, Garry Collins and Adam Martel are eligible to call for a recount, as well as Mr Dunlop.

Former deputy Garry Collins said he was pleased to get over 6,000 votes, but Tweeted early yesterday that he felt now was the time to move on. Former deputy Scott Ogier said he would also not be requesting a recount, but later seems to have changed his mind.

The Guernsey Press has not been able to contact Mr Martel.