Tynwald members select new presiding officer

The longest serving member of the House of Keys has been elected President of Tynwald.

Juan Watterson, who was the only candidate proposed for the position, was backed by 28 of the 30 voting members of Tynwald present in the chamber.

First elected to serve the constituency of Rushen in 2006, Watterson has held the role of Speaker of the House of Keys for his last two terms of office.

Watterson said although he "cannot promise perfection", he would "promise diligence, impartiality and a sincere wish to do the job well".

Watterson unsuccessfully ran for the position in 2021, when he lost out to Laurence Skelly.

Skelly retired from a 15-year career in national politics on the island on Monday, as his term as president came to a close.

The latest term of office in the post will last until the day before the July sitting of Tynwald in 2031.

Watterson was proposed by Clare Barber MHK who said he had, in his time in the House of Keys, done positive work in engaging young people in politics and contributing to the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and had ensured the island was "well represented".

However, she said he had "made clear his intention to remain parliamentary in his focus and his desire to serve the oldest continuous parliament in the world as its president".

"I have absolutely no doubt of his ability to do this responsibly, fairly, and with the integrity and enthusiasm a role deserves," she added.

Seconding him for the position, Ann Corlett MHK said he had "demonstrated dedication to parliamentary democracy, a commitment to public engagement and a deep respect for the traditions" of the Tynwald court throughout his time in politics.

"His support for initiatives such as Junior Tynwald and encouraging wider participation in our democracy, reflect a vision that is both respectful to our heritage and mindful of our future," she added.

The role of president is open to all MHKs and elected MLCs and the successful candidate takes up a seat in the Legislative Council for a five-year term.

As well as presiding over the sittings of Tynwald and the Legislative Council held in Douglas, the president authorises the Order Paper for sittings and is responsible for interpretation of the court's Standing orders.

Although an impartial role, the president has a casting vote in cases of a tied vote in the Council.

A relatively new role in the context of the island's 1,000-year old parliament, the position of president was established in 1990 to take over as presiding officer from the Lieutenant Governor.

Sir Charles Kerruish was the first to hold the position, serving from 1990 to 2000, and there have been four other postholders before Watterson.

They were Noel Cringle from 2000 to 2011, Clare Christian from 2011 to 2016, Steve Rodan from 2016 to 2021, and most recently Skelly.

Taking up the role Watterson said it was a "particular honour to preside over the world's oldest continuous parliament, the land of my birth".

"I will do my best to be fair, patient, even-handed, to respect the rights of all members and to ensure that debate remains robust without ceasing to be courteous," he said.

"The strength of this assembly lies in the fact that members bring different views, different experiences and different interpretations to the issues before us.

"Above all, I take this office in the spirit of service to the court and wider Manx public."

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