THE Chief Minister is to stand for re-election – but said he is not intending to seek another term in the top job.
Speculation about Senator John Le Fondré’s political future has been rife after he opted not to stand for the leadership of the Jersey Alliance party, of which he is a member. However, the Chief Minister has confirmed he will stand for one of the four Deputy seats in the newly formed St John, St Lawrence and Trinity district.
Speaking to the JEP, he said: ‘I believe that there are things to finish – we have lost more than two years due to the pandemic and the Island needs to stabilise.
‘At this stage it’s not my intention to stand for Chief Minister if elected, but I believe I still have skills to offer the government.’
Having first been elected as Deputy of St Lawrence in 2005, Senator Le Fondré was re-elected in 2008, 2011 and 2014 before standing successfully for the Islandwide role of Senator in May 2018, polling the third-highest figure of 14,214 votes.
He was subsequently elected as Chief Minister, defeating previous incumbent Senator Ian Gorst by 30 votes to 19.
When the Jersey Alliance Party was launched in 2021, Senator Le Fondré was named as a member, alongside several other ministers and assistant ministers serving in the current government. Earlier this year, the Alliance party elected Sir Mark Boleat as leader and the party’s candidate for the position of Chief Minister.
Senator Le Fondré said it had been ‘an incredible privilege’ to have led the Island for the past four years and that he was proud of the achievements of the government he had led.
He said: ‘I think we have taken some particularly brave and long-term decisions that others would not want to have taken.
‘We have protected lives and livelihoods during the pandemic, we launched innovative initiatives such as the SpendLocal scheme that have been picked up elsewhere and we have made a difference overseas through the Jersey Cow project in Africa.’
In a statement declaring his candidacy, Senator Le Fondré did confirm that he would seek a ministerial role should he be re-elected in June.
He added: ‘The challenges and opportunities are great, which is why I believe our island is best served by constructive politics, by seeking to find solutions, rather than destructive personalised politics, which represents constant criticism without actually providing credible (costed) alternatives.
‘It is important that Members who do have significant experience, both professional and political, continue to serve this island to the best of their ability, and that is what I will seek to do.’
