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The Sark general election, which was held on 10 December 2008, was the first election held in the Channel Island of Sark under a new constitutional  arrangement.
Sark is therefore the last European territory to abolish feudalism.
 Sark is a small island in the southwestern English Channel, which is called La Manche by the French. It is one of the Channel Islands and it is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and as such is a British crown dependency. It has a population of about 600. Sark's main industries are tourism, crafts and finance. Sark has an area of two square miles (5.45 km²), and was the last European territory to abolish what some called classic feudalism, in 2008.
Sark consists of two main parts, Greater Sark, located at about 49° 25' N x 2° 22' W, and Little Sark to the south. They are connected by a narrow isthmus called La Coupée which is just nine feet (3 m) wide with a drop of 300 feet (91 m) on each side.
Around 933, it became a part of the Duchy of Normandy which became united with the Crown of England after 1066. In the  thirteenth century, Sark was used as a base of operations by the French pirate Eustace the Monk after he served King John of England. Although populated by monastic communities in the medieval period, Sark was uninhabited in the 16th century and used as a refuge and raiding base by Channel pirates. Helier de Carteret, Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey, received a charter from Queen Elizabeth I to colonise Sark with 40 families from St. Ouen on condition that he maintained the island free of pirates.
On 4 July 2007 Sark began to dismantle its feudal system on the premise that this was necessary to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. The majority of the island's legislature could be elected by 2009. On 16 January 2008 and 21 February 2008, the Chief Pleas approved a law which introduces a 30-member chamber, with 28 elected members and retaining only two unelected members. On 9 April 2008, the Privy Council approved the Sark law reforms, and the first elections under the new law were held in December 2008 and the new chamber will first convene in January 2009.
The first fully democratic election ever held in Sark took place on 10 December 2008 after nearly 450 years of feudalism. In total, 28 conseillers were to be elected from 57 candidates, with the latter figure representing about 12% of the electorate in the island. A recount was ordered as several of the candidates for the last seat were separated by only a few votes.
The election was the occasion of a fight throughout the island between those who support the traditional "feudal" system and those who support the new "democratic" process.
The result of the election was largely contested between those supported by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay—the billionaire brothers who own the nearby island of Brecqhou and who were advocating radical change to the government and constitution of the island—and who hoped the new system would favour them.
But the island’s first fully democratic election dit not enable them to win representation on the island council, "the Chief Pleas."
In retaliation, the Barclays brothers shut their businesses in Sark: two hotels, a pub, a restaurant and a construction company and all 140 employees were sacked.
Nevertherless, the result is that everybody is now united against them on the island and do not want to see their homeland turned into a residence for the millionnaires of Britain.
More details on the election and the aftermath in:
The Guardian
The Times
With help from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Date de création : 24/12/2008 - 11:44
Dernière modification : 24/12/2008 - 12:24
Catégorie : L'actualité
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L'actualité - Sark, the no-longer-feudal Channel Island
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