Politics of the Falkland Islands

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Falkland Islands


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Politics of the_Falkland_Islands,
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Governor: Howard Pearce
Chief Executive: Chris Simpkins
Elections and parties
Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands

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The politics of the Falkland Islands, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom (also claimed by Argentina), is minimal, lacking any political parties and differing little from standard British governmental and legal proceedings. The constitution of the Falkland Islands was established October 3, 1985 and amended in 1997. English common law holds sway.

Government

Within the executive branch of the Falkland Islands, the chief of state has been Elizabeth II since February 6, 1952. The heads of the government since May 1999 have been Governor Donald Lamont and Chief Executive D. F. Howatt. The cabinet concists of an Executive Council, with three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (the chief executive and the financial secretary) and the governor.

The legislative branch consists of a unicameral Legislative Council, with 10 seats, two ex officio and 8 elected by popular votes. Members serve four-year terms.

The judicial branch consists of a Supreme Court; the chief justice is a nonresident.

Elections and parties

There are no elections for the executive branch in the Falkland Islands. The monarch is hereditary, and the Governor is appointed by the monarch. For other elections, suffrage is universal, with the minimum voting age at 18.

The Falkland Islands elects a legislature on territorial level. The Legislative Assembly has 10 members, 8 of which are elected every 4 years and 2 members ex officio. As of the last elections, October 9, 2001 (which had a turnout of 68.7%), only non-partisans have been elected; there are no active political parties in the Falkland Islands. The next elections will be held in November 2005.

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