8 September 2025 

Residents Encouraged to Follow Debate on Constitutional Review Report

(Report to be Debated in the House of Assembly 18 September)

Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley, is urging all residents and nationals in the diaspora to become familiar with the 2022-2023 Constitutional Review Commission Report, ahead of the debate in the House of Assembly on Thursday, 18 September, 2025.

The completed report of the full review of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 was officially handed over to His Excellency the Governor, Mr. John Rankin CMG and Premier Wheatley on Monday, 27 November, 2023.

The report reflects months of consultations with residents across the major islands on key areas affecting the governance of the Virgin Islands. These included the topics of junior ministers, freedom of information, term limits for Premier, direct election of Premier and revision of the At-large system, fixed House of Assembly schedules, Crown lands, human rights, cabinet reform, and fixed date for elections.

“As Premier of the Virgin Islands, I want to reiterate the importance of everyone carefully reviewing the Constitutional Review Commission Report, and following the upcoming debate in the House of Assembly,” stated Honourable Wheatley. “This report represents a critical step in the process of negotiating a new Constitution. It comes at a pivotal time in our development and we intend to seize the opportunity to advance our journey towards self-determination.” 

The 2022-2023 Constitutional Review Commission Report can be accessed on the Government’s official website by clicking on this link: Constitutional Review Commission 2022 - 2023 Report | Government of the Virgin Islands. The report is also available on the Commission’s website - https://bit.ly/ConstitutionalReviewCommissionReport. 

Residents are encouraged to tune in to the live broadcast of the House of Assembly on 18 September, 2025 at 10 a.m. via the HOA’s YouTube Channel - House of Assembly VI - YouTube, Government’s Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/BVIGovernment/, or via radio station ZBVI 780AM, and other platforms.

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About:

The Government of the Virgin Islands is committed to promoting good governance and the sustainable development of the Territory with a view to ensuring a well-informed, prosperous, cohesive and stable society.

For Additional Information Contact: 

Angela U Burns

Information Officer II

Premier’s Office

Telephone: +1 284 468-9445

Email: aburns@gov.vg