General Election, 2 April 2001

Volcanic eruption   

On 18 July 1995, following years of increasing seismic activity in Montserrat, the Soufrière Hills volcano began to erupt. The first evacuation took place on 21–22 August 1995, when 6,000 residents (out of a population of 10,500) were relocated from the southern and eastern areas, for two weeks. A second evacuation of a similar scale occurred in December, lasting for one month. Periodical explosions continued from 1995 to 1999, during which a new volcanic dome formed, prompting further migration.  

In June 1997, pyroclastic flows (fast-moving clouds of hot gas and volcanic matter) caused by a dome collapse killed 19 people and injured eight others. In response, the UK government pledged GBP £75 million in budgetary aid for the period 1998–2001 and an additional £25 million for 2001–2002, while also allowing evacuees to settle indefinitely in the UK. As a result of the ongoing volcanic activity, Montserrat's population decreased from 10,500 in 1995 to 4,000 by 1999 (Kokelaar 2002).  

Impact on the electoral process   

General elections were held on 11 November 1996. In response to the demographic shifts following the disaster, a new electoral framework was introduced establishing a single constituency and a nine-member Assembly (Montserrat 2019, 6(1)). Prior to the eruption, Montserrat had been divided into seven districts (with separate registering officers), each represented by a member on the Council elected by a plurality first-past-the-post system (Montserrat 1952, art. 35–36 and 74(7)) (International IDEA n.d.).  

Many villages and communities having become uninhabitable, it was no longer feasible to maintain district-based divisions for elections. Montserrat was consolidated into a single constituency. Under the new nine-seat system, each voter casts nine separate ballots, one for each seat. If an insufficient number of candidates reach the required minimum of 6 per cent of the vote, those who surpass this threshold are awarded seats, while the remaining candidates face a second vote within 21 days (Montserrat 2019: Part 2 5(1), 6(1–2)).A single registering officer is now responsible for the entire island (Montserrat Elections 2019, Part 2: 8(1)).