Elections in the British Virgin Islands

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British Virgin Islands
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the British Virgin Islands

Governor David Pearey Premier Ralph T. O'Neal House of Assembly Political parties Elections: 1999, 2003, 2007 Districts Law
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Elections in the British Virgin Islands gives information on election and election results in the British Virgin Islands. An election is a process in which a vote is held to elect candidates to an office. It is the mechanism by which a democracy fills elective offices in the legislature, and sometimes the executive and judiciary, and in which electorates choose local government officials.

The British Virgin Islands elects on territorial level a legislature. The Legislative Council has 15 members, 13 members elected for a four year term, 9 of them in single-seat constituencies and 4 at large. The Attorney General and one speaker chosen from outside the council also serve on the Council. The British Virgin Islands has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party.

Elections are held every four years. The last election was in 2003 and the next will be in 2007. The system of elections is very similar to that of Westminster. The parties nominate candidates on a nomination day, then the election is held several weeks later. The BVI held a special election in 2005, where Elmore Stoutt(NDP) won the at-large seat that had previously been held by the late Paul P. Wattley(NDP).