What happens when we’re sworn in?

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You’ll be sworn in at the Royal Court on the morning of 16 October. You’ll make an oath or an affirmation, to serve the Island and the Crown to the best of your ability.

You’ll be given the exact wording in advance – I can’t remember if you’re allowed to read it out, or if you repeat it after someone like at a wedding. But either way, you’ll be given a clear explanation of what’s expected (and if you’re still uncertain, just follow what the others are doing!).

It’s a bit of a fancy ceremony – if you’re not sure what to wear, aim for office smart, I think. Unless I’ve completely forgotten, it’s certainly not black tie or anything silly like that! (But don’t let me mislead you or cramp your style, I’m the worst person to ask for clothing advice. Just ask your new colleagues what they’re doing if you’re not sure.)

You can normally bring friends and family along to watch from the public gallery if you want to. It’s a bit special, because it marks the end of a successful election campaign and the start of an extraordinary four years. There’s no shame in making a bit of a fuss about that! I’m not sure if there’ll be a limit on the amount of guests you can invite – I’m sure you’ll be told if so – but just be a bit thoughtful, and remember that everyone else may want to bring along special people too!

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What if I am elected – what happens next?

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If you’re elected, there’s a gap of about a week before you officially become a Deputy (when you’re “sworn in”). During that time, there may be a recount, which could result in some people changing position. But there’s important work to do in the week before swearing-in, so don’t hang about waiting for the results of a recount – if it happens, it happens, and you can deal with it as it comes.

Swearing in will happen on the morning of Friday 16th October. Until the night of Thursday 15th October, the previous States are officially still the government. You take over when you’re sworn in. Make sure this date is in your calendar, and you’ve found cover for any other responsibilities you might have: it’s not something you can miss.

When you are sworn in, you make a promise to serve the Island and the Crown to the best of your ability. I have written about that here. The important thing to know is that you can choose between an oath (which has a kind of religious meaning) and an affirmation. You should be offered the option – but if you’re not, and you have strong feelings about this, then just ask whoever is in touch with you about the arrangements for the swearing in.

(For what it’s worth, I chose the affirmation. My belief in god is sketchy at best but, more to the point, I strongly believe in the total separation of Church and State. My promise to the community is exactly that – a vow between me and the people I’d been elected to serve – and it stands alone. But I know some of my colleagues feel the opposite – that the promise you’re making to the community is so solemn and serious that it deserves to be made in the eyes of God. The choice you make is deeply personal, even if the swearing in itself is very public.)

Your swearing-in happens in the Royal Court. Friends and family can normally watch from the public gallery, if you want to bring them along. (Be mindful of everyone else – don’t pack the gallery with your supporters; leave space for others too.)

If you have any anxieties about what you should wear, or what you should do, or what the swearing-in itself would be like, talk to your fellow Deputies-elected who’ve done this before. I’m sure they’ll be able to set your mind at rest. Don’t stress about it! It’s just a fancy ceremony to start the term. What comes next is more important.

Starting on the afternoon of Friday 16 October, you’ll be thrown into a week of Committee Elections. First the President of P&R (on the 16th), then the members of that Committee (on Saturday 17th – don’t miss it). Then Committee Presidents on Monday 19th, and finally Committee Members on Wednesday 21st.

There is always a bit of movement in Committee membership during the term – but it’s hard to predict where, or when, so don’t bank on that. Think of this as picking the team you want to work with for the next 4.5 years. Those are quite serious decisions, with long-term consequences, so you need to be ready to make them when the time comes.

That’s why it’s so important to use the week between Election Day and swearing-in to get to know the other people who will be in the States with you. You might have met or made friends with some on the campaign trail, but I bet there will be others you barely know as well. These are people who will be competing for your vote for a role, or wanting to serve alongside you (or with you as their President, or vice versa) on a Committee. Take time to get the measure of them now. Go along to the formal induction events you’ll be offered – although it will feel like too much information, and you’ll want to revisit it later in the term – but, above all, take time informally to get to know people. You’ve got some big decisions ahead.

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Do I need to sign or swear anything?

You will have to sign and vouch various things, at various different stages of the Election process. The best place to start, as always, is the official candidates’ guide on the Election 2020 website.

Your election campaign starts with the nominations process. This is the time when you submit your name, supported by a proposer and seconder, to the Bailiff. This term, nominations open on Tuesday 1 September, and close at 4pm on Friday 4 September 2020. If you miss that window of opportunity, you won’t be able to stand for Election.

The nomination form is a standard document, which you can get from the Royal Court or download from the Elections website. As part of the form, you have to sign a declaration confirming that you are eligible to stand as a candidate, and whether or not you have any unspent criminal convictions. You also have to declare whether or not you are part of a political party (and which one).

That is the main formality at the start of the election period. At the end, of course, you’ll have to submit a statement of your expenses (regardless of whether you’ve been elected) – and if you are elected, there will be all sorts of other forms to fill in, as there always are at the start of any new job.

One thing I think it is worth knowing, at this stage, is that if you are successful, you will need to swear an oath of office. This is a promise to serve the Island to the best of your ability, and also to respect the Crown. I have to admit, I found the second bit hard. I could do it, because I wasn’t going into the States with any plans to try and change Guernsey’s constitutional position – but I’m not a natural monarchist, as you can probably imagine, so it involved a bit of wrestling with my conscience.

The promise to serve your community is more straightforward – after all, that’s why you’re standing for election. But I think it’s only right that you should know, before you make a decision to stand for office, exactly what you will be committing to when you are sworn in! The oath is mentioned in the candidates’ guidance, and I think you could request the full text from the Greffe if you wanted to.

P.S. “Swearing an oath” has religious connotations – it involves making a promise before whatever God you believe in. If you don’t believe in any God (or even if you do, but want to maintain a separation between Church and State) you have the option of “making an affirmation” instead. It is essentially the same promise, but with no divine dimension. When I was sworn in, there were just a handful of us who took that option, but that was fine.

Go back to Getting Into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 1.2: Getting Elected
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