Government and Politics

Government and Politics of Jersey

Government structure, leadership, capital, military, and national symbols of Jersey.

Government Structure

Constitutional foundations, branches, parties, and leadership.

Government Type: NA
Administrative Divisions: none (British crown dependency)
Legal System: English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Citizenship: see United Kingdom
Executive Branch: chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022), represented locally by the Lieutenant Governor head of government: Lieutenant Governor Jerry KYD (since 8 October 2022); Bailiff Timothy John Le COCQ (since 2019) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the lieutenant governor and bailiff are appointed by the monarch
Legislative Branch: Unicameral States Assembly (49 voting members — 8 senators elected for four-year terms, 12 constables or heads of parishes elected for four-year terms, and 29 deputies elected for four-year terms; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff serve as presiding officers; and three non-voting members — the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General, all appointed by the Crown). Following reforms enacted under the Reform (Jersey) Law 2008 and subsequent amendments, the number of senators was reduced and term lengths were standardized. Elections are held every four years; the most recent general election was held in June 2022. All voting members, including senators, constables, and deputies, now serve concurrent four-year terms, a change intended to simplify and modernize the island's electoral system. The assembly operates under the oversight of the bailiff, who serves as both its presiding officer and the head of the island's judiciary. All elected members stand as independents, as Jersey does not have formal registered political parties in the traditional sense, though a number of loose political groupings and movements participate in elections.
Judicial Branch: Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)
Political Parties: none (British crown dependency)
Head of State: King CHARLES III, represented locally by the Lieutenant Governor
Head of Government: Lieutenant Governor Jerry KYD
Elections: ministers of the Cabinet including the chief minister are elected by the Assembly of States; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National Holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.: none (British crown dependency)
U.S. Diplomatic Representation: none (British crown dependency)

Capital City

Seat of government and political history.

Capital City: Saint Helier
Location: 49 11 N, 2 06 W
Time Difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
History: named after Saint HELIER, the patron saint of Jersey, who was reputedly martyred on the island in A.D. 555

National Symbols

Flag, anthem, and other symbols of national identity.

National Flag

Flag Symbolism: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow
Flag History: For about 200 years the flag of Jersey was white witha red saltire. The arms, added in 1980, are those granted about 1290 by Edward I, King of England, to the Baliff of Jersey. The shield is ensigned with an ancient crown, similar to that attributed to the House of Plantagenet.
Date of Adoption: 7 April 1981

National Anthem

Anthem Lyrics: Ma Normandie Quand tout renait a l'espérance, Et que l'hiver fuit loin de nous, Sous le beau ciel de notre France, Quand le soleil revient plus doux, Quand la nature est reverdie, Quand l'hirondelle est de retour, J'aime à revoir ma Normandie, C'est le pays qui m'a donné le jour. J'ai vu les champs de l'Helvétie, Et ses chalets et ses glaciers, J'ai vu le ciel de l'Italie, Et Venise et ses gondeliers. En saluant chaque patrie, Je me disais aucun séjour N'est plus beau que ma Normandie, C'est le pays qui m'a donné le jour. Il est un âge dans la vie, Ou chaque rêve doit finir, Un âge ou l'âme recueillie A besoin de se souvenir. Lorsque ma muse refroidie Vers le passé fera retour, J'irai revoir ma Normandie, C'est le pays qui m'a donné le jour.
Anthem Lyrics (English): When everything is reborn in hope And winter flees far from us, Under the beautiful sky of our France, When the the sun returns gentler, When nature has turned green again, When the swallow has returned, I like to see once more my Normandy, It’s the country where I saw the light of day. I’ve seen the fields of Helvetia, And its chalets and its glaciers, I’ve seen the sky of Italy, And Venice and its gondoliers. Greeting each homeland, I told myself that no stay Is finer than my Normandy, It’s the country where I saw the light of day. There comes a time of life, When every dream must finish, A time when the restful spirit Needs to remember. When my chilled muse Makes its way back to the past, I’ll go see once more my Normandy, It’s the country where I saw the light of day.
Anthem History: Ma Normandie is the anthem of the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown dependency in the Channel Islands, and was written and composed by Frédéric Bérat. Jersey is historically part of the Duchy of Normandy, and French has been for centuries an official administrative language of Jersey, whose inhabitants have traditionally spoken a variety of Norman language.

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