2008 Sark general election

General elections were held in Sark on 10 December 2008, the first elections on the island.

2008 Sark general election

10 December 2008 2010 →
28 (of the 30) seats in the Chief Pleas
Registered	474
First party Second party   Party Traditionalist Pro-Barclay brothers Seats won 23 5 Popular vote 6,323 2,779
The location of the Bailiwick of Guernsey which includes Sark

Fifty-seven candidates^[1] (12% of the 474 eligible electors) stood for 28 seats in the Chief Pleas. The elected members in the new Chief Pleas were titled Conseillers and replaced the mixed system of elected People's Deputies and ex officio Tenants in the outgoing Chief Pleas. The President of the Chief Pleas continued to be the Seneschal, whose term was extended from three years to life. The Conseillers elected in 2008 served either four or two-year terms. 14 Conseillers elected for two-year terms served until the 2010 election, held in December 2010; while the remainder served four years terms, thus achieving a rolling election cycle. The selection of which Conseillers elected in 2008 were to serve a two-year term or a four-year term was determined by random ballot.^[2]

A recount took place on 11 December due to the closeness of the votes for the 28th seat.^[3]

Background

On 16 January and 21 February 2008, the Chief Pleas approved a law which introduced a 30-member chamber, with 28 elected members and two unelected members. On 9 April 2008 the Privy Council approved the Sark law reforms,^[4] and the new chamber convened for the first time on 21 January 2009.^[5][6][7]

Electoral system

The first election held in Sark under the new system took place on 10 December 2008. In total, 28 Conseillers were to be elected via plurality block voting from 57 candidates, with the latter figure representing about 12% of the electorate in the island.^[8] A recount was ordered as several of the candidates for the last seat were separated by only a few votes.^[9]

Results

The elections reflected the division throughout the island between those who supported the traditional system (Pro-Reform Law 2008 Candidates, or the establishment), and those who supported further reforms advocated by the Barclay brothers (Anti-Reform Law 2008 Candidates).^[10]

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Traditionalist	6,323	69.47	23
	Pro-Barclay brothers	2,779	30.53	5
	Seigneur (Hereditary)			1
	Seneschal (Appointed)			1
Total		9,102	100.00	30
Registered voters/turnout		474	–

Results from the second count were:^[11][12]

Position	Candidate	Party		Votes	Years
1	David Thomas Cocksedge			336	2
2	Rossford John de Carteret			318	4
3	Helen Mildred Plummer			302	2
4	David Woods Melling			284	2
5	Helen Clair Magell			282	4
6	Christopher Howard Bateson			280	2
7	Antony Dunks			270	4
8	Stephen Laurence Henry			266	4
9	David Pollard			263	4
9	Andrew Charles Prevel			263	4
11	Elizabeth Mary Dewe			253	4
11	Sandra Williams		Traditionalist	253	4
13	Edric Baker		Traditionalist	249	2
14	Paul Williams			242	4
15	Diane Baker			233	2
16	Paul Martin Armorgie			230	4
17	Andrew James Cook			228	4
18	Richard James Dewe			227	2
18	Charles Noel Donald Maitland			227	4
20	Michelle Andrée Perrée			224	2
21	Christopher Robert Nightingale			215	2
22	Janet Mary Guy		Traditionalist	212	2
22	John Edward Hunt			212	2
24	Anthony Granville Ventress			201	2
25	Stefan Bernd Gomoll			200	2
26	Ann Atkinson			199	4
27	Christine Dorothy Audrain			185	4
28	Peter John Cole			184	2
29	Philip James Carré			179
30	Tony Eric le Lievre			178
31	William George Raymond			169
32	Peter Blayney Stisted			169
33	Bertha Helen Cole			165
34	Simon Peter Elmont		Pro-Barclay brothers	147
35	Bernard John Southern			136
36	Kevin Patrick Delaney		Pro-Barclay brothers	131
37	Peter Francis Luce Tonks			123
38	Simon Ashley Couldridge			122
39	John Trevor Greer Donnelly			118
40	Paul David Mitchell Burgess			117
41	Roger Ian Wynne Kemp			106
42	Colin Francis John Guille			104
43	Belinda Doyle			96
44	Michael Joseph Doyle			93
45	Mini McCusker			91
45	Natalie Tighe			91
47	Fiona Ann Bird			90
48	Cheryl Mary Tonks			85
49	Natalie Alexandra Criak			82
50	Daniel Walter Robert Parsons			75
51	David John Bird			74
52	Kevin Laws			70
53	Kaye Jin Mee Char			59
54	Jamie Karl John Swanson			50
55	Leigh Dianne Gibbins			45
56	Susan Christine Strachey			43
57	Javie John Dance			14

After the results of the ballot were declared, a separate ballot was held among the 28 successful Conseillers to determine which would serve for two years, and which for four years, which is indicated by the figure after the number of votes. Since the initial period, Conseillers have served four-year terms with half elected every two years.^[13]

Reaction of the Barclay brothers

When it became apparent that only about five candidates they had supported had been elected, the Barclay brothers announced that they were shutting down their businesses on Sark – hotels, shops, estate agents and building firms – leaving about 100 people, or a sixth of the population, out of work.^[14][15] The closures started almost immediately following the announcement.^[16] Diana Beaumont, the wife of Seigneur John Michael Beaumont, commented that "[the Barclay brothers] were the ones that started all this democracy business, now they don’t like it because they haven't won."^[17] The States of Jersey, sitting in session on 12 December 2008, resolved to send a message of support to its sister island of Sark.^[18]

In January 2009, the Barclays quietly began reversing the shutdown process.^[19]