Hon. Alvina Reynolds (Head of Mission) and Maggie El Beleidi (Election Administrator) prepare to observe voting

An Election Observation Mission of the 2025 Guernsey General Election, conducted by the British Islands and Mediterranean Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA BIMR) has published a preliminary statement, outlining its initial assessment of the democratic process.

Overwhelmingly, the Mission praised an efficient, well-organised and well-administered election process that “reflected a strong commitment to democratic principles”. More praise was given to the competence and commitment of polling officers across the Island.

The Mission took place at an interesting moment in Guernsey’s democratic history, with the election being only the second time that Island-wide voting has been in place. It is also the first time an in-person election observation mission has taken place. Although CPA BIMR conducted a mission in 2020, due to pandemic restrictions, this had to take place virtually.

Island-wide voting was a dominant theme of conversation during the Mission’s meetings with various stakeholders. While the Mission took no position on the voting reform, the initial statement said that it has “introduced challenges for candidates reaching the electorate through face-to-face campaigning”.

The Mission was formed by a team of independent, impartial and international election observers, including parliamentarians from Montserrat, Scotland and St Lucia. On polling day (18 July), they visited each of the Island’s eight polling stations; they also visited all three of the super polling stations on the advance polling days held on 15 and 17 July.

Rhoda Grant MSP, one of CPA BIMR's observers, visits a polling station

The initial findings praised the “notable progress in fostering a more inclusive and representative political environment” - the number of women candidates reached a record high of 33% of total candidates this election.

It also commended the multiple opportunities voters were given a cast their ballot, noting that two advanced polling days were organised in addition to postal voting and polling day.

However, it drew attention to the fact that only 52% of eligible voters registered which was the lowest number since 2020, with the majority of registered voters over 50 and the minority under 30.

Commenting on the overall findings, Head of the Mission and President of the Senate of St Lucia, Hon. Alvina Reynolds MP said:

“Coming from another Island state, it has been fascinating to observe the democratic process in Guernsey. I have been overwhelmed by the dedication and enthusiasm of volunteers across the Island. They should take great pride in the work they did to ensure a smooth, efficient and calm process for voters across the Island, which this Mission commends profoundly.

“In particular, I want to praise the strong commitment to democratic values embedded at each stage of the process. Great care was taken to ensure voters had every possible chance to participate, with two advance polling days offered in addition to postal voting.

“Over the past two weeks, we met with various groups across the Island; thank you everyone who engaged with us so openly, constructively and eagerly. I was particularly pleased to speak with women and youth groups who find themselves at an interesting cross-roads in Guernsey’s democratic history. While this election saw more women candidates stand than ever before, people aged under 30 represented the biggest group of unregistered voters.

“While no election is perfect, this one had no major faults – remarkable for a state that has only recently undergone a major change in the way it votes. We look forward to publishing our full report in the next two months which will delve deeper into our findings.”

The Mission will be publishing a full report in two months, which will delve further and make recommendations to strengthen Guernsey’s democratic process.

The full preliminary statement can be accessed here:https://www.uk-cpa.org/media/ad5hdgcy/preliminary-report-guernsey.pdf