There is now a new Government of Anguilla formed by the Anguilla United Front and led by Chief Minister, the Hon. Mr. Victor Banks, former Minister of Finance in the 2005-2010 AUF Administration.
This follows the 2015 general election on Wednesday, April 22, in which the Anguilla United Movement (AUM) Government suffered a stunning defeat, leaving it without any parliamentary seat whatsoever, and therefore with no Opposition Member, from among its grouping, in the coveted House of Assembly.
The AUM campaign was conducted under the rallying cry that it was taking all seven seats constituency, but when the election results became clear, the Opposition Anguilla United Front, which previously held two seats in the House of Assembly, won six of the seven seats. The other seat, in District 1, Island Harbour, was taken by Independent Candidate, Palmavon Webster, from the AUF incumbent Mr. Othlyn Vanterpool.
Election Day saw long and slow-moving lines at the polling stations notwithstanding the fact that there were several extra polling stations, aimed at relieving congestion. In some cases, some ballot boxes arrived late at the counting locations at the Court House and the House of Assembly.
According to available information, there were 10,908 registered voters for the 2015 general election compared with 8,652 in 2010.
A live count of the election results was posted by the Department of Information Technology & E-Government Services of the Government of Anguilla and carried by ATV. It was stated that the results were “not final until they are officially announced by the Central Electoral Office”.
Those results are as follows:
District 1: Island Harbour
Othlyn O. Vanterpool (AUF Incumbent) 434 33.16%
Ellis L. Webster (AUM) 412 31.47%
Palmavon l. Webster (Indep.) 460 35.14%
Voter turnout 1309/1696 77.18%
Valid ballots counted 1304
Rejected ballot 3 0.23%
District 2: Sandy Hill
Cora Richardson Hodge (AUF) 461 60.98%
Jerome Roberts (AUM) 295 39.02%
Voter turnout 756/964
District 3: Valley North
Sutcliffe Hodge (DOVE) 58 4.12%
Elkin A. Richardson (AUM) 396 28.11%
Evans McNiel Rogers (AUF) 948 67.28%
Rejected ballots 7 0.5%
Voter turnout 1409/2005 70.27%
Valid ballots counted 1402
District 4: Valley South
Victor Banks (AUF) 1057 60.09%
Evans Gumbs (AUM) 655 37.24%
George Kentish (DOVE) 28 1.59%
Rejected ballots 19 1.08%
Valid ballots counted 1740
District 5: Road North
Evalie A. Bradley (AUF) 394 49.81%
Patrick Hanley (AUM) 393 49.68%
Rejected ballots 4 0. 51%
Voter turnout 791/1187 66.64%
Valid ballots counted 786
District 6: Road South
Haydn Hughes (AUM) 575 45.17%
Clifton Niles (DOVE) 24 1.91%
Curtis Richardson (AUF) 641 50.95%
Statchel Warner (Indep.) 10 0.79%
Rejected ballots 8 0.64%
Voter turnout 1258/1718 73.22%
Valid ballots counted 1250
District 7: West End
Cardigan Connor (AUF) 389 55.02%
Kristy A. Richardson (AUM) 313 44.27%
Voter turnout 707/983 71.92%
Valid ballots counted 702
Rejected ballots 5 0.71 %