Three out of the six candidates from the island’s only political party, Forward Guernsey, have been elected into the States.
Thursday saw Deputy Gavin St Pier, Tom Rylatt, and Rhona Humphreys all elected into the next assembly.
Stuart Jehan and Sofi Noakes were unsuccessful, along with Dicky Parmar who had been a member of Forward Guernsey and listed as such on the ballot sheet, but was not listed as a member of Forward Guernsey in the official results declaration.
Deputy Gavin St Pier was the only current States member in Forward Guernsey.
The 2020 poll topper achieved a seventh place finish this time round.
The 8,577 votes he received was down from 13,927 in 2020.
“Clearly, for me, it’s my fourth (election), but fought in very different circumstances to the last one in 2020 and in a very different role as part of a policy based party, with not really knowing how the electorate were going to interact with that idea” said Deputy St Pier.
He’ll be joined in the States by Forward Guernsey colleagues deputies-elect Tom Rylatt and Rhona Humphreys who gained 6,689 and 5,630 votes respectfully.
Adding that he was clearly delighted to have not only got over the line himself, but got over the line with a couple of party colleagues as well, Deputy St Pier said “that gives us a very solid base from which to help deliver.”
“It would be fantastic if we had got, you know, one or two others over the line….but I’m delighted with what we’ve got,” he added.
“It is the verdict of the electorate. We have to work with that.”
First-time candidate Tom Rylatt is now the youngest States member in Guernsey at 25-years-old. He’s also believed to be the third youngest States member ever, behind Peter Roffey and Carol Fletcher (later Carol Steere).
Deputy-elect Rylatt most recently worked as a Project Feasibility Manager for the Guernsey Development Agency. He said he knew the Press exit poll was a good sign but you never know.
“I felt like it was going well. Now, I just feel the weight of responsibility, because if the campaign’s taught all of us one thing, it’s how many people rely on deputies to do so much and to get the decisions right. So that’s my job now for the next four years.”
Deputy-elect Rylatt is committed to Party Politics – despite there only being three Forward Guernsey members among the 40 in the States of Deliberation.
“I think we need policy based parties that can work together to be more efficient vehicles for delivery, because that’s one thing we haven’t done over the last four years,” he said.
