The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) is a political party in the British Virgin Islands.[1] It is presently led by Natalio Wheatley.[2] It is the oldest active political party in the British Virgin Islands,[3] and it has won more general elections (seven) than any other political party in the British Virgin Islands.[4]
Virgin Islands Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman | Natalio Wheatley |
| Founded | 2 March 1971 |
| Split from | United Party |
| House of Assembly | 6 / 13 |
The party was founded by Lavity Stoutt in 1971 when Stoutt left the United Party in order to contest 1971 election after a dispute with Conrad Maduro as to who should be leader of the United Party.[5] The Virgin Islands Party led by Stoutt lost to coalitions led by Willard Wheatley in the 1971 and 1975 general elections but triumphed in the 1979 general election. Stoutt continued to lead the party until his death in 1995. After Stoutt's death, leadership of the party fell to Ralph T. O'Neal who led it until he stepped down on 28 May 2014.[6]
Prior to the 2011 general election the Virgin Islands Party had held power in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) for all except for 15 years since the adoption of the modern Legislative Council in 1967. Between its foundation in 1971 and 2014, the party had only two leaders: Lavity Stoutt and Ralph O'Neal; these two-party leaders are also the two longest serving elected politicians in BVI history and the first two leaders of the territory to have served more than two terms as either Chief Minister or Premier.[7] On 28 May 2014 Julian Fraser took over from Ralph O'Neal,[6] and led the party to defeat in the 2015 general election. On 30 November 2016 Andrew Fahie replaced Julian Fraser as party leader,[8] making Fraser the first (and, so far, the only) leader of the Virgin Islands Party not to ascend to either the Chief Minister or Premiership.
The party most recently held power after the 2019 general election held on 25 February 2019 winning 8 seats out of 13.
Virgin Islands Party had held power continuously from 1986 until 2003, winning four consecutive general elections, which is the longest unbroken streak in government for a political party in the British Virgin Islands.
Party leaders
The party has had five leaders in its history. Four of the five leaders have served as Chief Minister or Premier of the Virgin Islands on at least one occasion. All five leaders have been men. The party's early history was dominated by two men: Lavity Stoutt who founded the party and led it until his death in 2015, and Ralph O'Neal who led the party through the next four general elections. No other leader has led the party in more than one general election.
| Term | Leader | General Elections Contested | General Elections Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 - 1995 | Lavity Stoutt | 7 | 4 |
| 1995 - 2014 | Ralph T. O'Neal | 4 | 2 |
| 2014 - 2016 | Julian Fraser | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 - 2022 | Andrew Fahie | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 - Present | Natalio Wheatley | 1 | 1 |
Electoral history
House of Assembly elections
| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | H. Lavity Stoutt | 2 / 7 | New |  2nd | Opposition | ||
| 1975 | 1,591 | 53.82% | 3 / 7 | 1 | 1st | Opposition | |
| 1979 | 733 | 27.78% | 4 / 9 | 1 |  1st | Majority government | |
| 1983 | 1,355 | 44.90% | 4 / 9 | 0 | 1st | Opposition | |
| 1986 | 1,838 | 46.63% | 5 / 9 | 1 | 1st | Majority government | |
| 1990 | 2,409 | 46.54% | 6 / 9 | 1 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 1995 | 2,122 | 41.76% | 6 / 13 | 0 | 1st | Majority government | |
| 1999 | Ralph T. O'Neal | 2,649 | 42.34% | 7 / 13 | 1 | 1st | Majority government |
| 2003 | 3,772 | 52.03% | 5 / 13 |  2 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 2007 | 3,838 | 52.63% | 10 / 13 | 5 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2011 | 3,864 | 43.59% | 4 / 13 | 6 | 2nd | Opposition | |
| 2015 | Julian Fraser | 2,828 | 30.94% | 2 / 13 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2019 | Andrew Fahie | 4,855 | 50.03% | 8 / 13 | 6 | 1st | Majority government |
| 2023 | Natalio Wheatley | 3,632 | 39.60% | 6 / 13 | 2 | 1st | Coalition government |