A PROTRACTED and contentious debate about electoral reform ended with politicians voting – narrowly – to restore the Islandwide role of Senator to the States Assembly.
After a debate lasting around 13 hours across three days, the move to bring back Senators finished with 25 Members – the minimum number required for any change to the electoral system – voting in favour. There were 20 votes against, and one abstention.
The proposition was brought – in a private capacity – by Treasury Minister Elaine Millar, whose blueprint will involve nine Islandwide representatives replacing the same number of Deputies: one for each of the Island’s nine electoral districts.
Opening the debate on Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Millar said she felt the removal of the role of Senatorial role ahead of the 2022 election had been a mistake, which Members should now take the opportunity to reverse.
Yesterday’s phase of the debate exposed significant differences among ministers, with three Reform Jersey representatives criticising their ministerial colleagues.
Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham said it had been “unfortunate” that Deputy Millar had made dismissive comments about the view of outside organisations, such as election observers from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, expressing concern about the risks of changing an electoral system within a year of an election.
“I wonder if Deputy Millar would say the same to the Fiscal Policy Panel when she next meets them,” she said.
Housing Minister Sam Mézec criticised Members who had selectively used statistics for what he said would be a backward step.
“This is a tornado going backwards, causing nothing but damage as Islanders continue to lose faith about the Assembly dealing with the issues that matter,” he said.
The role of Senator was described by Deputy Helen Miles as “the clearest and most democratic element of Jersey’s electoral framework”.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said he felt that without a return to Senators, the Island would become less democratic and that it would become a challenge to identify suitable candidates for the role of Chief Minister in the future.
Earlier in the day, a move by the Privileges and Procedures Committee to put the brakes on the potential return of the role of Senator was narrowly defeated.
Committee chair Constable Karen Stone said that while the Island prided itself on good governance, bringing in a new system ahead of the June 2026 election would be contrary to this, hence the PPC amendment to delay the change until 2030.
While some Members were concerned that the delay would mean the topic would again return to the agenda during the next political term, others warned that it would be impractical to expect legislation to be in place by June of this year, 12 months before the next election.
The PPC amendment also required 25 votes in order to succeed, but in the end a total of 23 Members voted in favour, with 24 against.
