STATES Members are due to meet tomorrow morning to vote for the Island’s new Chief Minister… but the race is so close that the JEP has had to ask: what happens in a tie?
With 49 votes up for grabs, a candidate needs a majority of 25 votes to secure the role.
As neither of the candidates – Deputy Lyndon Farnham, Deputy Sam Mézec and Deputy Ian Gorst – currently have that 25 votes, the race is expected to drop to a two-person competition – after the candidate with the lowest number of votes is removed from the ballot.
The outcome of the debate depends on where that third place candidate’s votes fall.
Following questions to the States Greffier, the JEP understands that in the event of a tie (24 votes each way and one abstention, for example) there would be another round of voting… and another.
Until someone changes their mind.
If there remained an impasse, then it is understood that the Bailiff would suggest an adjournment for perhaps half an hour or so to allow discussions to be undertaken amongst Members.
Members would then reconvene and hope that the vote would provide a clearer outcome, the JEP learned.
As it stands, 17 Members are understood to be voting for Deputy Gorst, 10 for the Reform Jersey leader Deputy Mézec, and 11 are confirmed to be voting for Deputy Lyndon Farnham.
Deputies Rose Binet, Andy Howell, Barbara Ward are predicted to follow Deputy Tom Binet in backing Deputy Farnham, after they signed his initial nomination for Chief Minister.
Those who have not yet publicly stated their position are Constables Andy Jehan, Mike Jackson, Mark Labey and Deputies Alex Curtis, Hilary Jeune, Carolyn Labey, Philip Ozouf and Karen Wilson.
Follow live updates from inside the Chamber at 9.30am tomorrow on the JEP’s website.
The JEP’s best guesses of where votes will fall…
Deputy Ian Gorst’s votes
Deputies Ian Gorst
Kristina Moore
Kirsten Morel (Deputy Chief Minister)
Helen Miles (Home Affairs Minister)
Malcolm Ferey (Assistant Minister)
Lucy Stephenson (Assistant Minister)
Steve Ahier (Acting Infrastructure Minister)
Louise Doublet (Assistant Minister)
Inna Gardiner (Education Minister)
David Warr (Housing Minister)
Elaine Millar (Social Security Minister
Jonathan Renouf (Environment Min)
Steve Luce
Max Andrews
Constables David Johnson
Deirdre Mezbourian
Philip Bailhache
Deputy Sam Mézec’s votes
Deputies Sam Mézec
Lynsday Feltham
Catherine Curtis
Geoff Southern
Ralucs Kovacs
Carina Alves
Tom Coles
Rob Ward
Beatriz Porée
Montfort Tadier
Deputy Lyndon Farnham’s votes
Deputies Lyndon Farnham
Tom Binet
Mary Le Hegarat
Moz Scott
Constables Simon Crowcroft
Richard Vibert
Richard Honeycombe
Philip Le Sueur
Kevin Lewis
Marcus Troy
Karen Shenton-Stone
Unconfirmed votes
Deputies Rose Binet
Andy Howell
Barbara Ward
Alex Curtis
Hilary Jeune
Carolyn Labey
Philip Ozouf
Karen Wilson
Constables Andy Jehan
Mike Jackson
Mark Labey
