General elections were held in the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...

on 19 March 1971.Barrie Macdonald (1971
Policy and practice in an atoll territory: British rule in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, 1892 – 1970
/ref>

Background

Prior to the elections constitutional changes saw the House of Representatives replaced with a 33-member Legislative Council consisting of 28 elected members, three ''ex officio'' members (the Assistant to the Resident Commissioner, the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary) and two civil servants.Howard Van Trease (1993) ''Atoll Politics: The Republic of Kiribati'', p8

Campaign

A total of 110 candidates contested the 28 elected seats, all running as independents. Of the 23 incumbent members, only 13 ran for re-election.

Results

Only five of the 23 incumbent MPs were re-elected, with eight of them losing their seat. Tekarei Russell became the first female member of the legislature.New-look Gilbert and Ellice politics may spark ailing public interest
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', May 1971, p24 Director of Agriculture Ray Harberd and Director of Education Harry Urquhart were appointed as the two nominated official members.

Aftermath

The new Legislative Council met for the first time on 14 April.

Reuben Uatioa Te Reuben Kiraua Uatioa (1924 – 1977) was a Gilbertese politician. After being elected to the House of Representatives in 1967, he became the first Chief Elected Member of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony and then Leader of Government Busi ...

was elected Leader of Government Business.Decolonization
United Nations, July 1979 An Executive Council was subsequently appointed by

Resident Commissioner Resident commissioner was or is an official title of several different types of commissioners, who were or are representatives of any level of government. Historically, they were appointed by the British Crown in overseas protectorates (such ...

John Osbaldiston Field Sir John Osbaldiston Field (30 October 1913 – 1985) was a British colonial administrator who was the last Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands from 9 January 1970 and then, from 1 January 1972, the first Governor of this ...

after consultation with Uatioa.

References

{{Tuvaluan elections

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

Elections in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1971 in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Non-partisan elections