Guernsey’s government is a parliamentary representative democracy - this is a state where a few officials are elected to represent the general population. The country is not independent as it is legally identified as a Crown Dependency. Queen Elizabeth II is the official chief of the state represented in the dependency by a Lieutenant General.

The monarch is hereditary, meaning that the head of state inherits the position and the citizen has no choice of who sits in this chair. The crown representative the Lieutenant General and the Bailiff are selected by the monarch. The Chief Minister who serves as the president of the Policy and Resources Committee is voted in by the States of Deliberation after four years. This is the deliberative assembly of Guernsey. It is made up of members referred to as People’s Deputies who are elected every four years.

The Royal Court Building is home to Guernsey’s parliament or what is referred to as the States of Deliberation. It has been in existence since the 1800’s although renovations and extensions have been done sporadically over time. A notable extension and renovation were done in the year 2005. Apart from housing The States of Deliberation, The Royal Court is also home to criminal and civil courts.

Guernsey does not have any political parties. Instead, those who run in elections must be non-partisan.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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