BRADES, Montserrat, CMC—On Thursday, Montserratians will go to 17 polling stations across this volcano-ravaged British Overseas Territory to elect a new government.
The Electoral Council of Montserrat said that the polling stations, which opened at 7.00 am (local time), will close 11 hours later, allowing for the 3 464 registered voters to cast their ballots for the 34 candidates contesting the nine seats in the Legislative Assembly.
Three former government leaders are among the candidates representing the four political parties and six independents.
The former chief minister and premier Reuben T. Meade has returned from retirement to lead his newly formed United Alliance. At the same time, Premier Easton Taylor-Farrell is part of the Dr Samuel Joseph-led incumbent Movement for Change and Prosperity (MCAP) party, while the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) led by Paul Lewis includes former Premier Donaldson Romeo, who had contested the 2019 poll as an independent candidate. The other party in the race is the Karen “Lioness” Allen’s Positive Progression for People (PPP).
Nine seats are up for grabs in the legislative assembly, with five needed for a majority to form the next administration. Two other uncontested seats, the Attorney General and the Financial Secretary, will make up the 11-member Legislative Assembly.
The ballots will be counted one hour after the polls close. Several observer teams, including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR), are monitoring the polls.
In the 2019 general election, MCAP won five seats, the PDM won three seats down from its previous four, and Romeo was re-elected as the sole independent legislator.
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