The United Party (sometimes referred to as the BVI United Party ) (or UP ) was a political party of the British Virgin Islands .
23-670: It was formed by Conrad Maduro , H. Lavity Stoutt , Terrance B. Lettsome and Ivan Dawson during the first session of the Legislative Council of the British Virgin Islands under the new constitution in 1967 subsequent to the general election on 14 April 1967 . Although Conrad Maduro was the President of the party, he did not win his seat at the 1967 general election, and so it was agreed that Lavity Stoutt would be appointed Chief Minister. Leading up to
46-468: A coalition government. Political parties in the British Virgin Islands are not generally formed on an ideological basis , and do not normally affiliate themselves with a political school of thought. Political parties do not identify themselves are being on the political right or the political left . Similarly parties do not normally identify themselves with mainstream political movement such as green politics . Although there are no religious parties in
69-531: A coalition with Willard Wheatley until 1979. It regained power for the final time in November 1983 as part of a coalition with Cyril Romney . However, when Cyril Romney stepped down as Chief Minister and left the party, the party lost its overall majority and was replaced by the Virgin Islands Party , and never again emerged subsequently as a major political force. The last election in which
92-464: A four-year term, 9 of them in single-seat constituencies and 4 at large, one ex officio member and one speaker chosen from outside the council. The 4 at large seats are a comparatively recent innovation in British Virgin Islands politics. They were introduced under some pressure from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the mid-1990s. The rationale behind their introduction
115-574: A single vote, which is tied for the record for the narrowest margin of victory in a British Virgin Islands election. His victory with just 92 votes is also a record for the smallest number of votes for a victorious candidate. From 1988 to 1990, he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council of the British Virgin Islands . In June 2014 Maduro announced his desire to return
138-548: Is a British Virgin Islander politician and longtime leader of the United Party . Remarkably, Conrad Maduro has led his party to victory at three different general elections, but has never been appointed Chief Minister . Maduro has contested more general elections in the British Virgin Islands than any other politician except for Lavity Stoutt and Ralph T. O'Neal , contesting ten general elections between (and including)
161-504: Is relatively little party loyalty in the British Virgin Islands (which may be reflective of the lack of party ideology), and most significant elected politicians have changed party allegiance at least once, and sometimes more frequently, during their careers. Notable politicians who have switched parties include: The British Virgin Islands is a member state of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court . Judges in
184-794: Is the responsibility of the United Kingdom . A new constitution was made in 2007 (the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007) and came into force after the Legislative Council (the former name of the House of Assembly) was dissolved for the 2007 general election . The Governor is appointed by the Monarch. The Premier (formerly Chief Minister) is appointed by the Governor from among the members of
207-544: The 1971 general election Lavity Stoutt and Terrance Lettsome left the party to form the Virgin Islands Party , presumably for the ostensible reason of Stoutt seeking to remain as Chief Minister if Maduro should win his seat at the next election. Although Maduro did win his seat, the election was won by the rival VI Democratic Party . The United Party held power three times in the Territory. Firstly, from its formation in 1967 until 1971. In 1975 it regained power as part of
230-424: The 1967 general election and the 2003 general election , winning four times. Including by-elections, Conrad Maduro has contested 11 elections in total; equaling the record held jointly by Lavity Stoutt and Ralph O'Neal. Whereas politics in the British Virgin Islands is normally characterised by leading politicians crossing the floor , during his political career Maduro was unusual in remaining steadfastly loyal to
253-596: The British Virgin Islands at present at the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) and the National Democratic Party (NDP). The only parties other than the VIP and the NDP which has ever won power at a general election in the British Virgin Islands is the now defunct United Party , which won the 1967, 1975 and 1983 general elections, and the now defunct VI Democratic Party , which won the 1971 general election as part of
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#1732765266319276-605: The British Virgin Islands#Crossing the floor Politics of the British Virgin Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency , whereby the Premier is the head of government , and of a multi-party system . The British Virgin Islands (officially the "Virgin Islands") are an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom . The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes
299-440: The British Virgin Islands, all parties typically identify themselves with Christianity . Most parties campaign on a concepts with close affinity to nationalism , and core competency in relation to administration of Government. Because of the high numbers of economic migrants in the British Virgin Islands, much political campaigning has a xenophobic tinge to it, and often focuses on political patronage for BVIslanders. There
322-587: The Legislative Council, and is by parliamentary convention the leader of the party holding the largest number of seats. The Cabinet (formerly named the Executive Council) is appointed by the Governor upon the advice of the Premier from amongst the elected members of the House of Assembly . The British Virgin Islands elects on territorial level a legislature . The House of Assembly (formerly Legislative Council) has 15 members, 13 members elected for
345-467: The United Party had ceased to function as a political party. In June 2014 Conrad Maduro announced his desire to return the United Party to political prominence, and confirmed that if selected as a candidate he would run in the next general election . It is unclear who the prospective candidates might be, but Maduro referred to the people expressing an interest as being "young people". In the end
368-436: The United Party to political prominence, and confirmed that if selected as a candidate he would run in the next general election . If he did so then he would contest his 12th election in the British Virgin Islands, breaking the tie he presently holds with Lavity Stoutt and Ralph O'Neal for the most general elections contested. Ultimately however he did not end up contesting the 2015 general election . Politics of
391-447: The United Party won a seat was the 1995 general election when Conrad Maduro and Andre Penn were the only candidates to win a seat. Although various candidates ran under the United Party banner in the 1999 general election , none were elected. In the 2003 general election only Conrad Maduro ran for the party (unsuccessfully). Maduro ran again in the 2005 by-election following the death of Paul Wattley (also unsuccessfully), and thereafter
414-400: The United Party. After the 1983 general election, he formed part of the coalition government and served as Minister for Natural Resources and Public Health. He also performed the same Ministerial role as an opposition politician between 1972 and 1975 when Dr Q.W. Osborne was removed from his ministerial post in 1972. In 1986, he won election in the 2nd District over Prince Stoutt by just
437-527: The at large seats were introduced. Although Lavity Stoutt died shortly after the first election with at large seats in 1995 , his fears proved to be well founded. Although his Virgin Islands Party was returned to power in 1995, and retained power in the following election under the leadership of Ralph T. O'Neal in 1999, the at-large seats have since become a stronghold for the opposition National Democratic Party . The two main political parties in
460-689: The highest total number of votes would be elected to the Legislative Council. The proposals were strongly opposed by Lavity Stoutt , the Chief Minister of the day; he arranged for the entire Territory to be polled to ascertain how the voters felt about new rules being "foisted" upon them by the FCO in London, and then later flew to London with an entire delegation (including the Attorney General ) to try to dissuade them. Despite this opposition
483-469: The islands on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories . The Constitution of the Islands was introduced in 1971 and amended in 1979, 1982, 1991, 1994, 2000 and 2007. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the House of Assembly . The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Military defence
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#1732765266319506-468: The party did not put any candidates forward at the 2015 election. Another potential revival was also suggested in July 2018. This British Virgin Islands –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a Caribbean political party is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Conrad Maduro Conrad Antonio Maduro (born 2 December 1935)
529-470: Was that there was a risk that constituency seats can become too closely tied to a particular local figure, and that if a certain number of local figures join the same political party, then the voters have no real choice in selection of their government. Under the proposals any person in the Territory could stand as an at large candidate, and each voter would have four at large votes in addition to their constituency vote. The four at large candidates who received
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