Guernsey Government

What is the capital of Guernsey?

Country Name Guernsey
Full Country Name Bailiwick of Guernsey
Former Name Norman Isles
Etymology- history of name the name is of Old Norse origin, but the meaning of the root "Guern(s)" is uncertain; the "-ey" ending means "island"
Government Type parliamentary democracy (States of Deliberation)
Capital Name Saint Peter Port
Capital - geographic coordinate 49 27 N, 2 32 W
Capital Time Difference UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight Savings Time +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Independence none (British Crown dependency)
National Holiday Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution history: unwritten; includes royal charters, statutes, and common law and practice

amendments: new laws or changes to existing laws are initiated by the States of Deliberation; passage requires majority vote; many laws have been passed; in 2019, 60 laws were passed
Dependency Status British crown dependency

Guernsey Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

Guernsey Government and Politics

Who is the president of Guernsey?

Executive Branch: chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Lieutenant-Governor Richard CRIPWELL (since 15 February 2022)

previous chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Chief Minister Peter FERBRACHE (since 16 October 2020); Bailiff Richard McMAHON (since 11 May 2020); note - the chief minister is the president of the Policy and Resources Committee and is the de facto head of government; the Policy and Resources Committee, elected by the States of Deliberation, functions as the executive; the 5 members all have equal voting rights

cabinet: none

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch; chief minister, who is the president of the Policy and Resources Committee indirectly elected by the States of Deliberation for a 4-year term; last held on 7 October 2020 (next to be held in 2024)

election results:

2020: Peter FERBRACHE (independent) elected president of the Policy and Resources Committee and chief minister: percent of States of Guernsey vote - 57.5%

2016: Gavin ST. PIER (independent) elected president of the Policy and Resources Committee and chief minister
Citizenship Criteria: see United Kingdom
Legal System: customary legal system based on Norman customary law; includes elements of the French civil code and English common law
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch: description: unicameral States of Deliberation (40 seats; 38 People's Deputies and 2 representatives of the States of Alderney; members directly elected by majority vote to serve 4-year terms); note - non-voting members include the bailiff (presiding officer), attorney-general, and solicitor-general

elections: last held on 7 October 2020 (next to be held in June 2025)

election results: percent of vote - independents 62.6%, GPI 24.0%, GP 10.0%, APG 3.4%; seats - independents 22, GPI 10, GP 6; composition - men 32, women 8, percent of women 20%
Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Guernsey Court of Appeal (consists of the Bailiff of Guernsey, who is the ex-officio president of the Guernsey Court of Appeal, and at least 12 judges); Royal Court (organized into 3 divisions - Full Court sits with 1 judge and 7 to 12 jurats acting as judges of fact, Ordinary Court sits with 1 judge and normally 3 jurats, and Matrimonial Causes Division sits with 1 judge and 4 jurats); note - appeals beyond Guernsey courts are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office: Royal Court Bailiff, Deputy Bailiff, and Court of Appeal justices appointed by the British Crown and hold office at Her Majesty's pleasure; jurats elected by the States of Election, a body chaired by the Bailiff and a number of jurats

subordinate courts: Court of Alderney; Court of the Seneschal of Sark; Magistrates' Court (includes Juvenile Court); Contracts Court; Ecclesiastical Court; Court of Chief Pleas
Regions or States: none (British Crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes: Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale

note: two additional parishes for Guernsey are sometimes listed - Saint Anne on the island of Alderney and Saint Peter on the island of Sark - but they are generally not included in the enumeration of parishes
Political Parties and Leaders: Alliance Party Guernsey or APG [Barry WEIR]

Guernsey Partnership of Independents or GPI [Gavin ST PIER]

Guernsey Party or GP [Mark HEYLAR]
International Organization Participation: UPU
Diplomatic Representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic Representation from US: embassy: none (British crown dependency)
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