General elections were held in
Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...
on 15 February 2010.
Seven seats in the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...
were contested in the election.
[
The incumbent ]Chief Minister of Anguilla
The Premier of Anguilla is the head of government in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Anguilla on behalf of the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently King Charles III.
Up until 2019 the ...
Osbourne Fleming chose to retire and not stand for election. Fleming was a member of the Anguilla National Alliance
The Anguilla National Alliance was a centre-right political party in Anguilla.
At the elections of 21 February 2005, the party first became part of the Anguilla United Front(AUF), that won 38.9% of popular votes and 4 out of 7 elected seats, and ...
, which is part of the ruling Anguilla United Front
The Anguilla United Front is an alliance of political parties in Anguilla.
At elections, 21 February 2005, the alliance won 38.9% of popular votes and 4 out of 7 elected seats.
The Anguilla United Front (AUF) was created on 7 January 2000 as a ...
(AUF), a conservative coalition that won four of the seven seats in the Assembly in the 2005 elections.
The incumbent AUF was defeated, and former Chief Minister Hubert Hughes
Hubert Benjamin Hughes (15 October 1933 – 7 May 2021) was an Anguillan politician. He was the island territory's Chief Minister from 16 March 1994 to 6 March 2000, and again between February 2010 and April 2015.
He had stated his intention to ...
was sworn in to succeed Fleming as chief minister.
Background
In 2009, Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming, who was also the leader of the Anguilla United Front (AUF), announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2010 race.[ Two other members of the ruling AUF also announced their intent to retire as well – Parliamentary Secretary Albert Hughes and Communications and Works Minister Kenneth Harrigan.][ Collectively, Fleming, Hughes and Harrigan had been active in Anguillan politics for more than 80 years.][ It was announced that ]Finance Minister
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
Victor Banks
Victor Franklin Banks (born 8 November 1947)[Victor Banks](_blank)
Caribbean Elections< ...
would succeed Fleming as the party leader of the AUF coalition.[
According to the ]Constitution of Anguilla
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
, the general election was due to be held by March 2010. However, the election could have been postponed until as late as May or June 2010.[
On Monday, 4 January 2010, the last day of the current Assembly, the leader of government business held talks with the ]Governor of Anguilla
The Governor of Anguilla is the representative of the monarch in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The Governor is the highest authority on Anguill ...
, Alistair Harrison, concerning the dissolution of the legislative body to pave the way for new elections.[ That same day, Chief Minister Fleming told the Assembly that he felt that the previous five years of AUF in Anguilla had been a success, "The people elected us for five years and five years it would be, that was my commitment that was my pledge."][
Retiring Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming officially set 15 February 2010, as the date for the election during a public ]meeting
A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision making.
Defini ...
of the ruling Anguilla United Front
The Anguilla United Front is an alliance of political parties in Anguilla.
At elections, 21 February 2005, the alliance won 38.9% of popular votes and 4 out of 7 elected seats.
The Anguilla United Front (AUF) was created on 7 January 2000 as a ...
(AUF) in Blowing Point
Blowing Point is a village and one of the fourteen Districts of Anguilla, located on the southern coast. It is home to Anguilla's ferry terminal.
Transport
Ferry Terminal
There are regular ferries from St. Martin to Anguilla providing a half ...
held on 5 January 2010.[ In his announcement, Fleming told supporters, "Tonight, I take great pleasure in advising you that by the help of God, because we don't know what could happen, elections in Anguilla will be on the 15th of February 2010."][
]Colville Petty Colville may refer to:
Places
Canada
*Colville Lake (Northwest Territories), a lake in Northwest Territories
*Colville Lake, Northwest Territories, a settlement corporation
* Colville Range, a small mountain range in southwestern British Colum ...
, the supervisor of elections, reported that 8,652 voters were registered to vote in the seven electoral districts
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
on the island.[ That marked an increase in ]voter registration
In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote.
The ru ...
from the 2005 general election, when 7,558 people registered to vote.[ Electoral District Four, which includes parts of The Valley, the capital of Anguilla, had the largest number of registered voters in the 2010 election, with a total of 1,789.][
]
Candidates
Twenty candidates registered to contest the seven Assembly seats in the election.[ The nomination papers for all candidates were due on Thursday, 21 January 2010.][
*The ]Anguilla United Front
The Anguilla United Front is an alliance of political parties in Anguilla.
At elections, 21 February 2005, the alliance won 38.9% of popular votes and 4 out of 7 elected seats.
The Anguilla United Front (AUF) was created on 7 January 2000 as a ...
, the ruling coalition which controlled the majority of the seven seats in the Assembly since the 2005 election, fielded candidates in all seven constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
.[ The AUF was the only political party which had a candidate in all seven races.] The AUF will be led by Finance Minister Victor Banks
Victor Franklin Banks (born 8 November 1947)[Victor Banks](_blank)
Caribbean Elections< ...
, who replaced the retiring Osbourne Fleming as leader of the party.[
*The opposition ]Anguilla United Movement
The Anguilla Progressive Movement is a political party in Anguilla. The party was named the Anguilla United Movement until being rebranded in 2019 alongside new leaders and colours.constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
.[ The party was headed by former Chief Minister ]Hubert Hughes
Hubert Benjamin Hughes (15 October 1933 – 7 May 2021) was an Anguillan politician. He was the island territory's Chief Minister from 16 March 1994 to 6 March 2000, and again between February 2010 and April 2015.
He had stated his intention to ...
.
*The opposition Anguilla Progressive Party
The Anguilla Progressive Party (APP) is a political party in Anguilla.
The APP took part in the 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is hel ...
also had candidates in five of the seven races.[ The APP was headed by ]Brent Davis
Brent may refer to:
*Brent (name), an English given and surname
Place name
;In the United States
*Brent, Alabama
*Brent, Florida
*Brent, Georgia
* Brent, Missouri, a ghost town
* Brent, Oklahoma
;In the United Kingdom
* Brent, Cornwall
* Bre ...
, an Anguillan businessman.[
*Three independents also ran as candidates for seats in the Assembly.][
]
Results
References
{{Anguillan elections
Elections in Anguilla
2010 in Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...
Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...
February 2010 events in North America