The election candidates are now official.
At the end of Nomination Day on Friday, election officials held a press conference to name the 42 contenders who have signed up for the June 8 election.
Twenty-six are running in districts, and 16 are running at large.
That’s one less district candidate than in the previous election. In 2011, 43 candidates signed up: 27 in the districts, and 16 at large.
During the 2007 elections, 36 candidates ran for office, up from 33 in 2003.
Nominations were held from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2-4 p.m. at various locations around the territory. There was at least one centre for nomination in each district for district candidates, while at-large hopefuls were required to register at the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall.
As part of the process required by the Constitution, each district candidate had to be nominated by two voters registered in his or her district. At-large candidates had to be nominated by two voters registered anywhere in the territory.
Candidates, who each had to pay $500, had to show identification verifying them as a registered voter of at least 21 years of age.
Any candidate who missed the nomination process on Friday is not eligible to stand for election on June 8, Elections Supervisor Juliette Penn explained in a press release issued earlier this week.
“If at 4’oclock only one person was nominated, that one person would be declared elected for that particular district,” Ms. Penn said, adding that the same applies for at-large candidates.
The candidates are as follows:
At-large
Sharie DeCastro, Virgin Islands Party
Irene Penn-O’Neal, VIP
Charmaine Rosan-Bunbury, VIP
Karl Dawson, VIP
Dr. Orlando Smith, National Democratic Party
Myron Walwyn, NDP
Archi Christian, NDP
Ronnie Skelton, NDP
Edmund Maduro, People’s Progressive Coalition
Ishmael Brathwaite, PPC
Khoy Smith, PPC
Lorie Rymer, PEP
Alvin Christopher, PEP
Natalio Wheatley, PEP
Dancia Penn, Independent
Rawl Hannibal, Ind
District One
Shaina Smith, NDP
Andrew Fahie, VIP
Preston Stoutt, Ind
District Two
Rajah Smith, VIP
Melvin Turnbull, NDP
Elford Parsons, PEP
District Three
Julian Fraser, VIP
Kevin Smith, NDP
District Four
JoAnn “Roxie” Romney, VIP
Mark Vanterpool, NDP
District Five
Zoe Walcott-McMillan, VIP
Shabazz Abdul, Ind
Deloris Christopher, NDP
District Six
Elvis “Juggy” Harrigan, VIP
Alvera Maduro-Caines, NDP
Dion Jennings, Ind
District Seven
Oleanvine Pickering-Maynard, VIP
Dr. Kedrick Pickering, NDP
District Eight
McLoyd Walters, VIP
Marlon Penn, NDP
District Nine
Elton Sprauve, VIP
Dr. Hubert O’Neal, NDP
Faye Reese, PEP
Albert Wheatley, Ind
Stephanie Faulkner-Williams, Ind
Vernon Vanterpool, Ind