18-year-old Gabriel Raimondo is set to become the youngest ever States Member in Jersey – and possibly the youngest elected official in the world – after being elected a Deputy in the island’s elections this weekend.
The teenager postponed his A-Level exams to stand for election in St Brelade yesterday, where he came third with 1,603 votes to secure his seat in Jersey’s States.
Deputy-elect Raimondo had previously told Express that his election experience had been “horrendous” with malicious rumours being spread about him online.
He was only 17 when he announced his intention to stand for the States, turning 18 in the past few weeks.
As well as being the youngest politician elected in Jersey’s history – he is the youngest in the Channel Islands, beating Guernsey’s former Deputy Peter Roffey who was 23 when he was first elected to the States in 1982.
Other young politicians elected globally include Cleo Wilskut who elected at age 20 in South Africa and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and Eve Borg Bonello who were both 21 when they were elected in New Zealand and Malta respectively.
While Deputy-elect Raimondo and others are celebrating today, prominent Jersey politician Sam Mezec has lost his seat in the island’s government.
Deputy Mézec – who had previously run to be Jersey’s Chief Minister, and was hoping to make another attempt – was among the biggest casualties of the Senatorial race, finishing outside the top nine despite entering the contest as Reform’s leader, Housing Minister and one of Jersey’s most recognisable political figures.
Former Chief Minister of Jersey, John Le Fondre was unsuccessful in his attempt to return to the States – being defeated in a two-way battle to be named Constable of St Lawrence by political newcomer Tina Palmer.
Despite backing DFDS in the inter-island ferry tender, Jersey’s Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel has retained his seat in the island’s States.
Deputy Morel entered the election as one of the island’s most prominent politicians but his role in the highly scrutinised ferry procurement process and the subsequent DFDS controversy ensured he faced a challenging political backdrop.
He had indicated at a recent hustings that he was unlikely to seek “a big ministerial role”, but said he was “happy to be an assistant minister for the right government”.
FOR THE FULL ELECTION RESULTS AND ANALYSIS FROM JERSEY CLICK HERE.