Late recount challenge to Ozouf/Ferguson result

Tuesday 21 October 2014

The Senator who lost her seat by just 0.18% of the vote last week has demanded a late recount of the votes – and has also asked for an investigation into “problems with the election law”.

Sarah Ferguson lost her seat after falling just 262 votes short of Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf in the Senatorial poll.

The two have had a turbulent relationship in the States for the last few years – as Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel chairman, Mrs Ferguson has been a critic of Senator Ozouf’s policies. After the result Senator Ozouf had said he would take his erstwhile opponent out to dinner – it’s likely that appointment will remain on hold until the election dispute is resolved.

Mrs Ferguson – who has been in the States for 12 years – said that she went back to the Royal Court clerks to query the result within 24 hours, and is now asking for a full recount.

She said: “I went back to the Greffe last week to make some inquiries because of the margin, and because I did that within 24 hours of the election, I am allowed to go back and ask for a recount this week.

“If I don’t do it now, it’s too late. I can either leave it and always wonder, or do it and know for certain.”

Mrs Ferguson was marginally below Senator Ozouf as the results came through across the parishes on Wednesday night, and although she started to close the gap as the last few results came in from the urban parishes, she never managed to get into eighth place and hold on to a States seat.