As the emotions settled, and States members new and old digested the voting results, tears of victorious joy were accompanied with slight smirks of acceptance from those who didn’t quite make the totals needed to secure a seat.
Among the 12 deputies who lost their seats in the States in the 2025 election were committee Presidents Andrea Dudley Owen, Rob Prow, Victoria Oliver, and Carl Meerveld.
ESC President Deputy Dudley-Owen will be seen by many as the biggest scalp of the election – having won her seat in 2020 by coming third in the polls with 12,583 votes.
Like many previous education political bosses she dropped in the popularity stakes with just 5,016 people voting for her this time round.
The States Chamber’s hat rack will be missing its most regular partner from the end of this month, with current Deputy Carl Meerveld coming 42nd in the poll.
He finished behind fellow unsuccessful incumbent Deputy Peter Ferbrache, former deputy David Nussbaumer, and new candidate Adrian Dilcock.
Deputy Meerveld was only 233 votes off election success though showing how close the voting was – but he was too far off the 38th elected member of the new States to trigger a recount.
Former P&R President and parish poll topper Deputy Ferbrache very narrowly missed out on being elected in 38th place by just 21 votes.
He has confirmed he won’t be requesting a recount, even though he is the only candidate who would be able to under the rules.
Speaking with Express after the results were declared, Deputy Meerveld said his immediate focus will be on a change of summer plans, with a busy time looming around the house.
“My wife’s had a lot of gardening jobs, and I’ve got the renovation in the kitchen to do etc, so I’m going to, quite happily, go and focus on that. It’s going to be a much more relaxing summer than I anticipated!”
During his two terms in the States Deputy Meerveld was one of those spearheading the team looking at a potential wind farm and the leasing of the island’s seabed in the short term to raise some much needed cash.
He hopes that work will continue through his colleagues deputies Lindsay de Sausmarez and Chris Blin who were both re-elected.
“I still believe that project is worth £100 million plus to Guernsey per year. It it’s implemented and driven forward it will negate the necessity for GST and higher taxes. So I certainly hope we will go ahead and again, if there’s any way that I can support that project, I will continue to do that.”
Other unseated deputies include long-serving politician David de Lisle, and Sam Haskins, Chris Le Tissier, Sue Aldwell, Nick Moakes, John Dyke, and Simon Fairclough who have all been ousted after just one term.
Deputy Fairclough spent this term as the Vice President of the Scrutiny Management Committee and he served on E&I.
He slipped 20 places, from 32nd in 2020 to 52nd in 2025 but despite his defeat he was quick to congratulate the poll-topper who he has worked closely with.
“That’s politics,” he said.
“I’m not shocked to be honest. I mean, people have asked me how I’m feeling. I’m saying ‘philosophical’. That’s how I was feeling coming in here tonight, and it’s how I’m feeling going out. It’s politics.
“First of all, I’d like to say congratulations to everyone who’s got in, there are some amazing people in there. I’ve just gone and given Lindsay a big hug. I’m absolutely chuffed to bits for her. So, yeah, there’s a lot of good people in and the people have spoken, that’s democracy. I’ve got a saying, You win some, you draw some.”
The former political journalist thinks the new talent, and the combination of successful incumbents, could paint a bright picture for the island.
“The people of Guernsey have voted for change. People always vote for change at elections. You know, it’s the buzzword, and I think there are 20 new people that have got in, I think a couple of them are former deputies, but 20 new people, so the people have voted for change. The reassurance I’ve got is the existing deputies who’ve kept their seats, are people who can take the island forward.
“So I’ll be watching, possibly from afar, but wishing them all the best. Congratulations to everyone, and also commiserations, obviously, to those who didn’t get in.”