Editing British Virgin Islands (section)

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of the British Virgin Islands|Elections in the British Virgin Islands}}
[[File:Old LegCo Building, Road Town.jpg|right|thumb|Legislative Council building in [[Road Town]]. The High Court sits upstairs.]]
The territory operates as a [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]].<ref name="cia.gov"/> Ultimate executive authority in the British Virgin Islands is vested in [[Charles III|the King]], and is exercised on his behalf by the [[Governor of the British Virgin Islands]].<ref name="cia.gov"/> The governor is appointed by the King on the advice of the [[British Government]]. Defence and most foreign affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.<ref name="cia.gov"/>

The [[Constitution of the British Virgin Islands|most recent constitution]] was adopted in 2007 (the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/1678/pdfs/uksiem_20071678_en.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/1678/pdfs/uksiem_20071678_en.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=Explanatory Memorandum to the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/1678/contents/made|title=The Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007}}</ref> and came into force when the [[Legislative Council of the British Virgin Islands|Legislative Council]] was dissolved for the [[British Virgin Islands general election, 2007|2007 general election]]. The head of government under the constitution is the [[Premier of the British Virgin Islands|Premier]] (before the new constitution the office was referred to as [[Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands|Chief Minister]]), who is elected in a general election along with the other members of the ruling government as well as the members of the opposition. [[Elections in the British Virgin Islands|Elections]] are held roughly every four years. A [[Cabinet of the British Virgin Islands|cabinet]] is nominated by the Premier and appointed and chaired by the Governor. The Legislature consists of the King (represented by the Governor) and a [[unicameral]] [[House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands|House of Assembly]] made up of 13 elected members plus the [[List of Speakers of the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands|Speaker]] and the [[Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands|Attorney General]].<ref name="cia.gov"/><ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica – BVI"/>
	
The current Governor is [[Daniel Pruce]] (since 29 January 2024).<ref name="cia.gov"/> The current Premier is [[Natalio Wheatley]] (since 5 May 2022), who is leader of the [[Virgin Islands Party]].<ref name="cia.gov"/>

On 8 June 2022, subordinate UK legislation was made allowing for direct rule for the islands.<ref>[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/627/made The Virgin Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) Order 2022 – No. 627]</ref> However, the [[British Government]] decided on that date not to implement direct rule.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 June 2022 |title=British Virgin Islands: UK decides against direct rule of territory |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61736373 |access-date=8 June 2022}}</ref>

===Subdivisions===
{{Main|Districts of the British Virgin Islands}}
The British Virgin Islands is a unitary territory. The territory is divided into nine electoral districts, and each voter is registered in one of those districts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 |url=https://bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/constitution.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/constitution.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=19 September 2022}}</ref> Eight of the nine districts are partly or wholly on Tortola, and encompass nearby neighbouring islands. Only the ninth district (Virgin Gorda and Anegada) does not include any part of Tortola. At elections, in addition to voting their local representative, voters also cast votes for four candidates who are elected upon an at-large territory-wide basis.

===Law and criminal justice===
{{Main|Law of the British Virgin Islands}}

Crime in the British Virgin Islands is comparatively low by Caribbean standards. While statistics and hard data are relatively rare, and are not regularly published by governmental sources in the British Virgin Islands, the then-Premier did announce that in 2013 there was a 14% decline in recorded crime compared to 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://bvinews.com/bvi/crimes-down-by-14-premier/ |title=Crimes down by 14% – Premier |work=BVI News |date=13 January 2014 |access-date=14 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115073559/http://bvinews.com/bvi/crimes-down-by-14-premier/ |archive-date=15 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Homicides are rare,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/how-safe-caribbean-island-island-look-386480 |title=How safe is the Caribbean? An Island by Island Look |website=International Business Times |date=22 December 2011}}</ref> with just one incident recorded in 2013.

The Virgin Islands Prison Service operates a single facility, His Majesty's Prison in East End, Tortola.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bvi.gov.vg/departments/her-majestys-prison |title=Her Majesty's Prison |publisher=Government of the British Virgin Islands |access-date=21 January 2020 |quote=Her Majesty's Prison P.O. Box 627 East End, Tortola Virgin Islands (British) VG1120}}</ref>

The British and US Virgin Islands sit at the axis of a major drugs transshipment point between Latin America and the continental United States.<ref name="cia.gov"/> The American [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] regards the adjacent US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as a "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bvibeacon.com/2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1674:special-report-us-sees-shift-in-cocaine-trafficking&catid=68:special-reports&Itemid=60 |title=US sees shift in cocaine trafficking |publisher=[[BVI Beacon]] |date=9 February 2012}}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|Military of the British Virgin Islands}}
As a British Overseas territory, defence of the islands is the responsibility of the United Kingdom.<ref name="cia.gov"/>