By-election campaign fires up days after States agrees island should go to the polls

• States agrees that by-election should take place on Wednesday 29 April.
• Chamber of Commerce President Stephen Rouxel announces he will stand.
• His manifesto will outline “radical economic policy ideas” to improve the local business environment.
• Vice President Brooke Kenyon will act as interim President until Chamber’s March AGM.
• Carl Meerveld also expected to stand.

Chamber of Commerce President Stephen Rouxel has formally announced his intention to stand in the by-election scheduled for Wednesday 29 April.

On Wednesday, the States voted by 24-11 that a by-election should be held to find someone to fill the seat vacated after the imprisonment of former deputy Jonathan Le Tocq.

They also agreed that spending rules will be the same as for the 2025 General Election, so an individual has a £3,000 on what they can on the campaign during the regulated period, which began on 2 March.

Postal voting will again be allowed, while people will also be able to vote at any polling station set up irrespective of the parish they live in.

The count will take place at Beau Sejour.

Rouxel will be nominated by Justin Bellinger and seconded by Barbra Minta, MBE.

“After giving it a lot of thought, I came to the conclusion that, if I want to see any of the, admittedly, radical economic policy ideas I think are necessary to improve the business environment, increase the purchasing power of money in the pocket of the Guernsey people, job prospects for our kids, and general economic stability, I need to change the political dialogue,” he said.

“The best way to do that seemed to me to publish a manifesto, show the electorate I have something worth saying, win the election, and then persuade the 37 Deputies (and 2 Alderney representatives) already in the house that the ideas are winners.”

He plans to share his manifesto on a dedicated website, which will also host personal information, details about his election expenses, and strategies for managing potential conflicts of interest.

Carl Meerveld, who lost his seat in the 2025 election, has also announced his intention to run.