1986 British Virgin Islands general election

The British Virgin Islands general election, 1986 was a "snap" election held in the British Virgin Islands on 17 November 1986. The result was a victory for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) led by Chief Minister Lavity Stoutt over the United Party (UP). Subsequent to the election Ralph T. O'Neal became leader of the opposition despite not being head of the UP.

British Virgin Islands general election, 1986
17 November 1986 (1986-11-17)
All seats in the British Virgin Islands Legislative Council
5 seats needed for a majority
Turnout67.6%
  First party Second party
 
Leader H.L. Stoutt Ralph T. O'Neal
Party Virgin Islands Party BVI United Party
Leader since 1971 1986
Leader's seat 1st District 9th District
Last election 4 seats, 43.8% 4 seats, 42.3%
Seats before 4 4
Seats won 5 2
Seat change +1 -2
Popular vote 1,838 977
Percentage 45.7% 24.3%
Swing +1.9% -18.0%
Chief Minister before election

Cyril Romney
BVI United Party (Coalition)

 Elected Chief Minister

Lavity Stoutt
Virgin Islands Party

The VIP won 5 of the available 9 seats giving it an absolute majority. Conrad Maduro and Ralph O'Neal were the only members of the UP to win a seat. Maduro only won by a single vote, and O'Neal would change allegiance to the Virgin Islands Party before the next general election. Two candidates running as independents, Walwyn Brewley and former Chief Minister Cyril Romney, were elected. The election victory would make the start of 17 consecutive years in power for the VIP, which would only end in the 2003 general election.

Although Stoutt had lost the previous election, former Chief Minister Cyril Romney had been forced to step down on 1 October 1986 by Governor David Barwick, and so Stoutt had assumed Premiership by virtue of leadership of the largest party in the house prior to the election.

Janice George-Creque served as the supervisor of elections.[1] The turnout was 67.6% across the Territory, although this masked regional variations in the individual district seats. Turnout was highest in the 9th District (81.3%) and lowest in the 2nd (60.3%) and 3rd (60.6%) Districts. The low turnout in the 2nd District proved ironic, as that seat was decided by a single vote.

Background

Whilst serving as Chief Minister Romney was the 99% owner of a trust company called Financial Management Trust, which had been linked with laundering drugs money.[2] Although Romney was not personally implicated in the money laundering scheme, he was serving as Chief Minister at the time, the Legislative Council resolved to debate a no-confidence motion, and Governor Barwick ordered Romney to step down. To preempt the motion, Romney dissolved the Legislative Council and called a general election.

Results
 Summary of the 17 November 1986 Br. Virgin Islands Legislative Council election results
Parties Votes % Seats
People's Party 255 6.3% 0
BVI United Party 977 24.3% 2
Virgin Islands Party 1,838 45.7% 5
Independents 872 21.7% 2
Speaker and Attorney General 2
Total (turnout 67.6%)   11
Source: BVI election and information results 1950–2011

Although Romney himself was returned as the representative for Fifth District, his coalition partners in the United Party were beaten by Lavity Stoutt's Virgin Islands Party. The former coalition won only three seats: Romney himself, Conrad Maduro (and Maduro's victory was by a single vote), and Ralph O'Neal. O'Neal was appointed leader of the opposition, but that role would pass to Maduro when O'Neal later joined the Virgin Islands Party.

No notable candidates were elected to the Legislature for the first time, but the defeat of Q.W. Osborne would signal the end of his political career. Willard Wheatley also suffered the first defeat of his political career, but would continue on in politics.

District seats

The winners of the district seats were as follows:[3]

First Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Zion Hill Carrot Bay Jost Van Dyke
H. Lavity Stoutt (VIP) 174 185 57 416 64.9%
Basil Blake (PP) 153 51 9 213 33.2%
Rejected 2 2 8 12 1.9%
Total number of registered voters: 929
Total number of votes cast: 641
Percentage of voters who voted: 69.0%

Second Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Cane Garden Bay Brewers Bay New Bush
Conrad Maduro (UP) 45 35 12 92 38.2%
Prince Stoutt (IND) 63 25 3 91 37.8%
Malcia Hodge (VIP) 35 11 3 50 20.7%
Rejected 4 4 0 8 3.3%
Total number of registered voters: 398
Total number of votes cast: 241
Percentage of voters who voted: 60.6%

Third Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Sea Cows Bay Meyers
Oliver Cills (VIP) 211 41 252 56.5%
Alfred Christopher (UP) 58 45 103 23.1%
Earl Fraser (IND) 31 12 43 9.6%
Ishmael Brathwaite (PP) 40 2 42 9.4%
Rejected 4 2 6 1.3%
Total number of registered voters: 740
Total number of votes cast: 446
Percentage of voters who voted: 60.3%

Fourth Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Road Town Salt Island
E. Walwyn Brewley (IND) 180 1 181 32.7%
Elihu Rymer (IND) 110 0 110 19.9%
Alban U. Anthony (VIP) 87 4 91 16.4%
Ishmael Scatliffe (IND) 64 0 64 11.6%
Q. William Osborne (IND) 41 0 41 7.4%
Ulric Scatliffe (UP) 41 0 41 7.4%
Rejected 26 0 26 4.7%
Total number of registered voters: 801
Total number of votes cast: 554
Percentage of voters who voted: 69.2%

Fifth Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Huntums Ghut Long Trench
Cyril Romney (IND) 146 38 184 42.2%
Eileene Parsons (IND) 94 64 158 36.2%
Patsy Lake (VIP) 66 18 84 19.3%
Rejected 7 3 10 2.3%
Total number of registered voters: 693
Total number of votes cast: 436
Percentage of voters who voted: 62.9%

Sixth Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Baughers Bay Belle Vue
Omar Hodge (VIP) 249 45 294 63.4%
Charles Mercer (UP) 154 11 165 35.6%
Rejected 5 0 5 1.0%
Total number of registered voters: 688
Total number of votes cast: 464
Percentage of voters who voted: 67.4%

Seventh Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
Long Look
Terrance B. Lettsome (VIP) 227 227 74.9%
Collingston George (UP) 73 73 24.1%
Rejected 3 3 1.0%
Total number of registered voters: 456
Total number of votes cast: 303
Percentage of voters who voted: 66.4%

Eighth Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
East End Hope Estate
Louis Walters (VIP) 164 14 178 51.0%
Willard Wheatley (UP) 160 6 166 47.6%
Rejected 5 0 5 1.4%
Total number of registered voters: 521
Total number of votes cast: 349
Percentage of voters who voted: 67.0%

Ninth Electoral District

Candidate Polling Divisions Total Percentage
The Valley North Sound Anegada
Ralph T. O'Neal (UP) 230 88 19 337 57.4%
Allen O'Neal (VIP) 137 66 43 246 41.9%
Rejected 2 2 0 4 0.7%
Total number of registered voters: 722
Total number of votes cast: 587
Percentage of voters who voted: 81.3%

IND = Independent
PP = People's Party
UP = BVI United Party
VIP = Virgin Islands Party

In the 1st District, Lavity Stoutt secured both the highest number of individual votes, and the highest percentage of the vote of any candidate.

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References
  1. "BVI election and information results 1950-2011" (PDF). BVI Deputy Governor's Office. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014.
  2. Duthel, Heinz (2008). The Professionals - Politic & Crime – International Moneylaundering. p. 182. ISBN 1409222209. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  3. "BVI election and information results 1950-2011" (PDF). BVI Deputy Governor's Office. pp. 95–97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014.
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