The infancy of parties in Guernsey means that regulations which are common elsewhere, including on how they are financed, remain largely absent or undeveloped locally.
The States Assembly & Constitution Committee wants stronger controls to be agreed during the current political term, although none will be in place in time for next month’s by-election.
‘We are very cognisant of a massive gap in how we deal with political parties – the regulations, campaign finance, political bodies – and it is absolutely on our radar,’ said Sacc president Sarah Hansmann Rouxel.
Andy Sloan, who raised the issue during last month's States debate on a report about the 2025 general election, told the Guernsey Press that he would consider leading proposals himself if Sacc had not produced any in a year’s time.
‘I think it would go some way to restoring trust and confidence in politics if that work was done over the next 12 months,’ said Deputy Sloan.
‘I have nothing against political parties, but their funding has got to be clear and transparent. The current rules provide no transparency, for example about who has donated to a party.
‘I will keep pushing this. I will continue to remind Sacc. Other deputies are demonstrating what can be done by requete and maybe we will go down that route with this issue.’
Three parties fielded candidates at the 2020 general election – the Partnership of Independents, led by Gavin St Pier, won 10 seats; the Guernsey Party, headed by Deputy Mark Helyar, secured six seats; and the Alliance Party, chaired by Barry Weir, failed to gain any seats. All of those parties disbanded during the last States term.
Forward Guernsey, led by Deputy St Pier, was the only party to field candidates at the 2025 general election, and it won three seats. It remains the only party registered with the Greffe.
Forward Guernsey candidates stood on an extensive manifesto developed by a separate organisation, Future Guernsey, after the States imposed late changes which drastically cut spending limits on parties.
‘The average person knows the rules were unsatisfactory and that certain parties sailed close to the wind,’ said Deputy Sloan.
‘You could say life isn’t fair, but where there is unfairness and you can do something about it you should do something about it, and we can do something about the current rules which are unfair to voters and candidates.’
A report debated by the Assembly last week stated that some independent candidates had told election observers from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association that Forward Guernsey had ‘gained an advantage from its links with and support from an associated think tank’, and highlighted lack of transparency in some elements of campaign financing.
It also pointed out that the Reform Law currently forbids a candidate’s election campaign being financially supported by anyone else.
The States agreed two recommendations from Sacc, namely considering how complaints and appeals are handled as part of the creation of a new independent organisation to oversee elections, and looking into how young people could be more engaged in elections and local politics.
Deputy Hansmann Rouxel said that the absence of propositions about political parties or campaign finance did not mean that her committee lacked enthusiasm to tackle those issues before the island’s next general election in 2029.