The election campaign has now begun in earnest, with 58 Deputy hopefuls and four would-be Constables looking for votes when Islanders go to the polls on Wednesday 16 May. They are competing for 26 Deputies’ seats across ten parishes and two Constables’ seats.
They are joined on the campaign trail by 17 Senatorial candidates, who begin their fight for the eight Islandwide seats with the first hustings event on Monday.
After the votes have been counted on election day there will be at least 17 new faces not in the current Assembly when the States reconvenes.
St Helier Deputy Andrew Lewis was the only sitting Member who had not announced he would be stepping aside from the States in advance not to turn up at a nominations meeting.
He joins a long list of Members not seeking re-election, including six of the Island’s 11 serving ministers.
Following nominations night on Wednesday, 13 States Members – ten Constables and three Deputies – are already assured of the seats in the next Assembly having been elected unopposed, representing around a quarter of the new 49-strong House.
Grouville Deputy Carolyn Labey and St Martin Deputy Steve Luce were both returned to the Chamber, while St Brelade No 1 Deputy-elect John Young is returning to the States after a four-year absence.
The only Constables’ elections will be in St Mary, where former Deputy John Le Bailly will take on incumbent Juliette Gallichan, and St Brelade, where former Constable Mike Jackson will face Reform Jersey’s Marilyn Carré.
The ten unopposed Constables are: Richard Buchanan (St Ouen), Simon Crowcroft (St Helier), John Le Maistre (Grouville), Sadie Le Sueur-Rennard (St Saviour), Philip Le Sueur (Trinity), Deidre Mezbourian (St Lawrence), Len Norman (St Clement), Karen Shenton-Stone (St Martin), Chris Taylor (St John) and Richard Vibert (St Peter) – full stories: pages 8 and 9.
That leaves 26 Deputy seats being contested across the Island. Jersey’s only political party, Reform Jersey, has put forward 19 candidates in various districts.
Just under half of the party’s candidates are challenging for St Helier Deputies’ seats, while it also has candidates in St Saviour, St Brelade, St Lawrence and St Clement, as well as one Senatorial candidate.
The hustings roadshow begins on Monday night, with the Senatorial candidates due to appear at the Royal Jersey Showground for the traditional ‘rural hustings’.
Chief Minister Ian Gorst is seeking a third term in the top political job but is expected to face a challenge from current Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham should both be successful in securing seats in the new Assembly.
Polling stations will open at 8 am on Wednesday 16 May and close at 8 pm, with pre-poll voting alternatives open beforehand.
