Editing Politics of Saint Helena

{{Short description|none}}
{{See also|Politics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}

{{Politics of Saint Helena}}

'''Politics of Saint Helena''' takes place in a framework of limited self-government as a [[dependent territory]] of the [[United Kingdom]], whereby the governor is the [[head of government]]. [[Saint Helena]], an island in the southern [[Atlantic Ocean]], is a part of the [[British Overseas Territories|British overseas territory]] of [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]].

It has had its present constitution since 1 September 2009. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the governor and the Executive Council. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the governor and the Legislative Council. The [[judiciary]] is independent of the executive and the legislature. 

The territory maintains its own police service, the [[Royal Saint Helena Police Service]], while defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. No British military forces are stationed on Saint Helena, although the [[Royal Air Force]] maintains a [[RAF Ascension Island|staging base on constituent Ascension Island]].

Saint Helena had until 2009 two dependencies: [[Ascension Island]] and [[Tristan da Cunha]]. These territories have their own political structures with Administrators under the [[governor of Saint Helena]]. They are now equal parts of [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]] along with St Helena itself.

==Executive branch==
{{Office-table}}
|align=left|[[British monarchy|Monarch]]
|[[Charles III]] 
|
|8 September 2022
|-
|[[Governor of Saint Helena|Governor]] and Commander-in-Chief
|[[Nigel Phillips]]
|
|13 August 2022
|}

The '''Executive Council''' consists of the governor, three ''ex officio'' officers (one, the attorney general, having no vote), and five elected members of the Legislative Council. The monarch is the reigning monarch of the [[United Kingdom]] and is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the [[British government]]. The chief secretary is the main advisor to the governor on the island and runs the administrative side of the government, which is based at [[The Castle (Saint Helena)|The Castle]] in the capital, [[Jamestown, Saint Helena|Jamestown]].

Currently, the five elected members of the Legislative Council (along with the committees they were selected to chair on) who now serves on the Executive Council are:<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/councils/|title=Councils/Committees|publisher=St. Helena Government|access-date=7 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626193104/http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/councils/|archive-date=26 June 2017}}</ref>
# '''Lawson Arthur Henry''' (Economic Development Committee)
# '''[[Christine Scipio-O'Dean]]''' (Education Committee)
# '''Derek Franklin Thomas''' (Public Health Committee)
# '''Anthony Green''' (Social and Community)
# '''Russell Yon''' (Environment & Natural)

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/data/files/improving_democracy.pdf |title=Improving Democracy and Accountability |date=January 2013 |access-date=2013-02-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510160928/http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/data/files/improving_democracy.pdf |archive-date=2013-05-10 |publisher=Government of St Helena}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/news.php/803/constitutional-reform-a-chief-councillor |title=Constitutional Reform: A Chief Councillor? |date=16 January 2013 |access-date=2013-02-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510171142/http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/news.php/803/constitutional-reform-a-chief-councillor |archive-date=2013-05-10 |publisher=Government of St Helena}}</ref> These proposals were put to [[Saint Helena Chief Councillor referendum, 2013|a referendum]] on 23 March 2013 where they were defeated by 158 votes to 42 on a 10% turnout.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Government of St Helena |date=2013-03-25 |title=PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |url=https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2013-March-25-LegCo-Day-2.pdf |access-date=2023-06-06}}</ref>

==Legislative branch==
The '''[[Legislative Council of Saint Helena|Legislative Council]]''' has 15 members, 12 members elected for a four-year term by popular vote and 3 members ''ex officio''. This arrangement gives the governing of Saint Helena an aspect of [[representative democracy]].

===Political parties and elections===
Saint Helena, along with both [[Ascension Island]] and [[Tristan da Cunha]], does not have any active political parties, but no law forbids the formation of political parties; hence, the territory is a de facto [[non-partisan democracy]]. The [[Saint Helena Labour Party]] and [[Saint Helena Progressive Party]] existed until 1976.

In the most [[2021 Saint Helena general election|recent general election]], the twelve elected members are:<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2021/news/general-election-2021-the-results/|title=General Election 2021 – The Results |publisher=St. Helena Government|access-date=28 October 2021}}</ref>
# '''Julie Dorne Thomas''' (888 votes)
# '''Andrew James Turner''' (834 votes)
# '''Corinda Sebastiana Stuart Essex''' (827 votes)*
# '''Martin Dave Henry''' (750 votes)
# '''Jeffrey Robert Ellick''' (688 votes)*
# '''Ronald Arthur Coleman''' (678 votes)
# '''Karl Gavin Thrower''' (611 votes)
# '''Gillian Ann Brooks''' (561 votes)
# '''Mark Alan Brooks''' (533 votes)
# '''Christine Lilian Scipio''' (532 votes)*
# '''Robert Charles Midwinter''' (485 votes)
# '''Rosemary June Bargo''' (456 votes)

:<span style="font-size:88%"> An '''asterisk''' (*) denotes a sitting incumbent MLC who was duly re-elected.</span>

==Judicial branch==
The territory has four courts of its own:

*Court of Appeal
*[[Saint Helena Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]
*Magistrates Court
*Juvenile Court

The [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]], in London, is the final court of appeal for the territory however, as is the case with all other British overseas territories.

==International organization participation==
*[[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Saint Helena elections}}
{{Africa in topic|Politics of}}

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[[Category:Politics of Saint Helena| ]]