Proposal to elect premiers At-Large gets pushback
Lawmakers have rejected a proposal from the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) to change how the Premier is chosen, warning it could create confusion and instability in the political system. R...
Lawmakers have rejected a proposal from the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) to change how the Premier is chosen, warning it could create confusion and instability in the political system. Recommendation 11 of the CRC report suggested that the Premier and Deputy Premier should be selected from among Territorial At-Large candidates, with the possibility of direct election being explored in future.
The idea was raised after public consultations where residents said they wanted more involvement in choosing the territory’s leader. Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn said the change would not work in practice. He argued that while there were two models proposed, neither would work, since they both would result in “a very chaotic situation”. “At the end of it, they’re saying they want the Premier to be more accountable to the entire country and not just to a district that elected him or elected her.
And we have to find a way to ease the people’s mind on this particular point,” Walwyn argued. First District Representative Dr Karl Dawson also raised objections, saying the plan risked splitting the House into two unequal classes. “The suggestions in Recommendation 11, in my view, would create two classes of membership in the House of Assembly.
A district representative, or as I would say, an ordinary member, who would be restricted from particular roles, such as Premier, Deputy Premier, and would even be not preferred as a minister. On the other hand, there would be At-Large, or as I would call them, super members, who could be Premier and the Deputy Premier,” Dawson stated.
Dawson added that the proposal “flies in the face of history” since most past leaders were elected from districts rather than At-Large seats. Dawson highlighted another concern, saying the change could hand control of the government to a minority. “The idea of the Premier being selected based on most votes among At-Large has the inherent problem of the possibility of a person from a minority party who was able to gain the most votes would be head of a government made up of his or her opponents,” Dawson explained.
The CRC noted in its report that many residents felt frustrated with the current system, where party leaders often emerge as Premier without direct input from the wider electorate. “People expressed a strong desire to vote directly for who is to be elected head of government,” the commission wrote.
However, lawmakers insisted that such a move would shift the Virgin Islands away from the Westminster model and closer to a presidential system, raising further concerns about accountability.
Primary source: BVI News