| Pitcairn Islands |
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Politics of the Pitcairn Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Mayor is the head of government. The territories constitution is the Local Government Ordinance of 1964. In terms of population, the Pitcairn Islands is the smallest democracy in the world.
The government's administrative offices are in Auckland, New Zealand.[1]
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| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | Elizabeth II | 6 February 1952 | |
| Governor | Victoria Treadell | 2 May 2006 | |
| Commissioner (non-resident) | Jack Piff | September 2003 | |
| Mayor | Mike Warren | 9 December 2007 |
The Queen is represented by the Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, who is the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, currently Victoria Treadell. The Governor's Representative is the liaison person between the governor and the Island Council. The non-resident Commissioner, appointed by the Governor, is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the island as well as for its economic regeneration. But because the high commissioner does not live on the island, its daily affairs are taken care of by the mayor of Pitcairn from 1999 onwards. Island Magistrate is a governor appointed job. Chairman of the Internal Committee is an elected official. Until 30 October 2004, the mayor was Steve Christian; after his rape conviction on October 24, 2004, Christian was dismissed (after refusing to resign). Brenda Christian was selected by the Island Council to be mayor for November and December 2004, until an election was held. Jay Warren was elected on December 15, 2004. The island Mayor is elected by popular vote for a three-year term. In December 2007, Mike Warren succeeded Jay Warren as Mayor.
The Pitcairn Islands have a unicameral Island Council (10 seats - The Mayor and the Chairman of the Island Council both hold membership ex officio; 4 elected by popular vote, 1 co-opted by the Chairman and the 4 other elected members; 2 appointed by the Governor including the Island Secretary (ex officio); the tenth seat is reserved for a Commissioner (non-resident) who liaises between the Council and the Governor. Except for the Mayor, who has a three year term, and the Island Secretary, whose term is indefinite, members serve one-year terms. Last elections were held on 11 December 2009.[2]
Council elections are held on 24 December every year. See: Pitcairn Islands election, 2004, Pitcairn Islands election, 2005, Pitcairn Islands general election, 2006 and Pitcairn Islands general election, 2007. Due to its size, this tiny democracy, indeed, the world's smallest democracy in terms of population, doesn't have political parties and is classified as a non-partisan democracy.
| Members | Seats |
|---|---|
| Direct elected members | 4 |
| Co-opted member | 1 |
| Mayor (elected) | 1 |
| Chairman of the Island Council (elected) | 1 |
| Appointed councillors (including the Island Secretary) | 2 |
| Commissioner liaising between the governor and the Council | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
The members of the Pitcairn judiciary are all New Zealanders - as are almost all of the lawyers admitted to the Pitcairn Bar - and are all either current or former members of the judiciary, or legal profession (in the case of the magistrates) in that country.
Currently, the members of the judiciary are:
Additionally, several magistrates have been appointed from amongst the ranks of the senior members of the legal profession in New Zealand. The Pitcairn Public Prosecutor - Simon Moore (also the Crown Solicitor at Auckland) and Public Defender - Paul Dacre - were also appointed.
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