JERSEY’S politicians will meet today to elect a new Chief Minister.
Over the course of this morning, current Treasury Minister Ian Gorst, Deputy Sam Mézec and Deputy Lyndon Farnham (pictured below) are expected to make a ten-minute appeal to the Assembly on why they deserve the role.
As with last week’s no-confidence vote, which saw Deputy Kristina Moore ousted from her role after a debate full of twists and turns, today’s vote could also come down to the wire.
After candidate speeches and an hour of questioning each, Members will then vote for their preferred candidate. If no candidate receives more than half the Assembly’s support, the vote progresses to a second round where Members vote on the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
If there is a tiebreak situation, the Bailiff will suggest an adjournment to allow for discussion among Members, who would then reconvene to vote again.
Current ministers have sided with former Chief Minister from 2011 to 2018, Deputy Gorst – while former Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham has managed to secure the backing of Deputy Tom Binet, who lodged the no-confidence vote in Deputy Moore, as well as a handful of Constables and backbenchers.
Deputy Farnham indicated that he had reversed his previous stance about the site for the new hospital and committed to working on the project with former Infrastructure Minister, Deputy Binet.
Reform Jersey’s leader Deputy Mézec has the support of his party – a ten-member voting bloc which proved pivotal when it sided “pour” in the no-confidence debate.
Deputy Mézec remained steadfast when queried by the JEP yesterday, saying that no deals or arrangements between Reform’s members and the other candidates had been done.
At a hustings in the Town Hall on Tuesday night, the Reform leader set out his priorities and said he was determined to “burst the Royal Square bubble” and “bring politics back to the people”.
Constables Michael Jackson and Mark Labey, as well as several deputies previously in ministerial positions, said yesterday that they would listen to the speeches and question the candidates before making their decision.
nFollow live updates from inside the Chamber on the JEP website today from 9.30am.
