Press announcement by Michael Fahy, Chairman One Bermuda Alliance, August 9, 2011

Good morning.

My name is Michael Fahy, chairman of the One Bermuda Alliance.

In keeping with the commitment the party made when it formed last May, I have asked you here to announce that the day for the party’s leadership election is Saturday, September 10^th.

Not only will the party elect a Party Leader and Deputy Leader at this election meeting, but also a new Party Executive, including Party Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

The event will be held at the Southampton Princess Hotel, starting at 7.30 p.m.

Before addressing some of the rules governing the election I want to take this opportunity to reiterate some of our basic approaches as a political party because they have direct application on how we will conduct this election.

The party organized itself to include Bermudians from all walks of life who want to see change in the way politics is conducted.

We operate as a broad church – open to all who wish to join and abide by our principles and who are prepared to put Bermuda first.

We are committed to enhancing our democracy by making our system of government more inclusive, more transparent and more collaborative for the public and parliamentarians.

Finally, our aim is to draw from the widest possible membership to broaden participation and commitment to public service and to putting Bermuda first.

In keeping with these approaches, this will be the first-ever open election for a party leader. I say that in the sense that anyone can participate as long as they are a signed up member of the party and on the Parliamentary Register.

In the interest of expanding participation, people can join the party on the night of the conference.

Now, to contend, the people wanting to become Leader and Deputy Leader must submit the supporting signatures of at least two MPs and/or Senators and 15 members of the OBA. Signatories must be on the electoral role.

Leader or Deputy Leader contenders may only put their name forward for one position, not both.

They are permitted to run as a combined ticket and say so during their speeches and, if agreed in advance, when gathering signatures.

At the conference, the speeches for Leader and Deputy Leader shall be no more than 12 minutes.

The winning candidates must get at least 50% of the popular vote. There will be rounds of votes until that threshold is achieved. The candidate with the lowest number of votes in any given round is eliminated from the next round.

In terms of getting involved in the election, we will have nomination forms on our website, along with party membership forms.

To keep the public informed, we will announce the candidates on September 1^st.

The leadership election will bring an end to our four-month interim period where we focused on laying the foundations of the party constitutionally, administratively, policy development and membership; along with our work in Parliament.

We look forward to Bermudians from all walks of life joining with us to elect new leadership and bring change to Bermuda.