Editing Saint Helena (section)

== Government ==
{{Politics of Saint Helena}}
{{Main|Politics of Saint Helena}}<!--Please add detailed information to relevant articles of the series and keep this as a summary-->

Executive authority in Saint Helena is vested in [[Charles III|King Charles III]] and is exercised on his behalf by the [[Governor of Saint Helena]]. The Governor is appointed by the King on the advice of the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]]. Defence and foreign affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

The Executive Council is presided over by the Governor and consists of three ''ex officio'' officers and five elected members of the Legislative Council appointed by the Governor. There is no elected Chief Minister, and the Governor acts as the head of government. In January 2013 it was proposed that the Executive Council would be led by a Chief Councillor who would be elected by the members of the Legislative Council and would nominate the other members of the Executive Council. These proposals were put to [[2013 Saint Helena Chief Councillor referendum|a referendum on 23 March 2013]], when they were defeated by 158 votes to 42 on a 10% turnout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-islander.org.ac/art_10676.html/|title=Constitutional Poll – Restults|work=The Islander|date=25 March 2013|access-date=14 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027115955/http://www.the-islander.org.ac/art_10676.html/|archive-date=27 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[2021 Saint Helena governance system referendum|Another referendum in 2021]], however, saw the population approve the changes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Consultative Poll on Governance Reform – The Results|url=https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2021/news/consultative-poll-on-governance-reform-the-results/|website=St Helena Government|language=en|date=18 March 2021|access-date=10 August 2021}}.</ref>

The [[legislature]] of Saint Helena consists of the [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] [[Legislative Council of Saint Helena]] and the [[King-in-Parliament]] (represented by the Governor). The Legislative Council consists of 15 members, of whom 12 are directly elected members who each serve a four-year term; a Speaker and Deputy Speaker who are chosen by the elected members; and one ''ex officio'' member, the Attorney General. Members of the Council use the post-nominal letters "MLC" (Member of the Legislative Council)

The island is policed by the [[Royal Saint Helena Police Service]] (RSHPS). The RSHPS is also the primary law enforcement agency for [[Ascension Island]] and the [[archipelago]] of [[Tristan da Cunha]]. Like many other [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth nations]], the [[warrant card|warranted personnel]] of the RSHPS are known as 'constables', and the service also uses [[special constable]]s, in addition to employing non-warranted staff personnel. The RSHPS also uses a variety of [[Saint Helena Police Service#Ranks|ranks]] similar to other Commonwealth law enforcement agencies. Saint Helena has one police station, ''Coleman House'', named after PC Leonard John Coleman who died in the line of duty on 2 December 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-11-28|title=Service of Remembrance – Police Constable Leonard Coleman|url=https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2017/public-announcements/service-of-remembrance-police-constable-leonard-coleman/|access-date=2021-04-11|website=St Helena Government|language=en-US}}</ref> The Island's only prison—HMP Jamestown—was built in 1827 and in 2018.

One commentator has observed that notwithstanding the high unemployment resulting from the loss of full passports during 1981–2002, the Saint Helena population's loyalty to the British monarchy is probably not exceeded in any other part of the world.<ref>[[David Leslie Smallman|Smallman, David L.]], Quincentenary, a Story of St Helena, 1502–2002; Jackson, E. L. St Helena: The Historic Island, Ward, Lock & Co, London, 1903</ref> [[King George VI]] is the only reigning monarch to have visited the island. This was in 1947 when the King, accompanied by [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]] (later The Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth (later [[Queen Elizabeth II]]) and [[Princess Margaret]] were travelling to South Africa. The [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]] arrived at Saint Helena in 1957, followed by his son, [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Prince Andrew]], who visited as a member of the armed forces in 1984, and his daughter, the [[Princess Royal]], in 2002. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh]] made an official visit to Saint Helena in late January 2024, where he was greeted by Jonathan the Tortoise, a 191 years-old Seychelles Giant Tortoise born during the reign of King [[William IV]].