At Stake in this Election: 

• 13 seats of the British Virgin Islands House of Assembly 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022) 

• Represented by Governor John J. RANKIN (since 29 January 2021) 

• Head of Government: Premier Dr. Natalio WHEATLEY (since 5 May 2022) 

• Assembly: unicameral House of Assembly with 15 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The King is a hereditary monarch, and he appoints the Governor. 

• The Premier (usually the House majority leader) is appointed by the Governor. 

• In the House of Assembly, 13 members are directly elected by plurality vote: 9 members in single-seat constituencies (districts) and 4 members in a single, nationwide constituency. An additional two members—the Attorney General and Speaker—are elected from outside the House by the other members. All members serve 4-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In 2019, the Virgin Islands Party won a majority with 8 seats. The National Democratic Party won 3 seats, while the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement and Progressives United each won a single seat. Voter turnout was 64.6%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

On 5 May 2022, Premier Andrew Fahie was arrested on drug trafficking and money laundering-related charges. He was replaced by current premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 13 April 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 8 March 2023 

Main Parties in this Election:  

• Virgin Islands Party (VIP) 

• Leader: Natalio WHEATLEY 

• Seats won in the last election: 8 out of 13 

• National Democratic Party (NDP) 

• Leader: Marlon PENN 

• Seats won in the last election: 3 out of 13 

• Progressive Virgin Islands Movement (PVIM) 

• Leader: Ronnie SKELTON 

• Seats won in the last election: 1 out of 13 

• Progressives United (PU) 

• Leader: Julian FRASER 

• Seats won in the last election: 1 out of 13 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 39,369 (2023 est.)

• Registered Voters: 16,131 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 20,612 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 22 July 1981, Ratified 7 April 1986 (both by the UK)  

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 4 out of 14 in the House of Assembly 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: Not available  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Not available  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 8 June 2009 (both by the UK)  

• Projected population with a disability: 5,905 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in the British Virgin Islands: No 

• Election Access: Yes