Editing Pitcairn Islands (section)

== Politics ==
{{Main|Politics of the Pitcairn Islands}}

[[File:Pitcairn Deputy Mayor Simon Young.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Simon Young (mayor)|Simon Young]], the incumbent [[List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands|Mayor of the Pitcairn Islands]]]]

The Pitcairn Islands are a [[British overseas territory]] with a degree of local government. The [[King of the United Kingdom]] is represented by a Governor, who also holds office as [[List of High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to New Zealand|British High Commissioner]] to [[New Zealand]] and is based in [[Wellington]].<ref>"[http://pitcairn.pn/ Home] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831132712/http://pitcairn.pn/ |date=31 August 2006 }}." Government of the Pitcairn Islands. Retrieved 31 October 2011.</ref>

The 2010 constitution gives authority for the islands to operate as a [[representative democracy]], with the United Kingdom retaining responsibility for matters such as defence and foreign affairs. The Governor and the Island Council may enact laws for the "[[peace, order and good government]]" of Pitcairn. The [[Island Council (Pitcairn)|Island Council]] customarily appoints a [[List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands|Mayor of Pitcairn]] as a day-to-day head of the local administration.

Since 2015, same-sex marriage has been legal on Pitcairn Island, although there are no people on the island known to be in such a relationship.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jun/22/pitcairn-island-population-48-passes-law-to-allow-same-sex-marriage|title=Pitcairn Island, population 48, passes law to allow same-sex marriage|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|agency=Associated Press|date=22 June 2015|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-date=15 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151215204159/http://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jun/22/pitcairn-island-population-48-passes-law-to-allow-same-sex-marriage|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Pitcairn Islands have the smallest population of any democracy in the world.

The [[United Nations Committee on Decolonization]] includes the Pitcairn Islands on the [[United Nations list of non-self-governing territories]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/decolonization/nonselfgovterritories.shtml |title=United Nations list of non-self-governing territories |publisher=United Nations |access-date=4 July 2015 |archive-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227010648/http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/nonselfgovterritories.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>