ROAD TOWN, Tortola, BVI — The political landscape heading into the next British Virgin Islands general election continues to expand beyond the traditional party structure, with Dr. Arlene Smith-Thompson now emerging as an Independent At-Large candidate.
Smith-Thompson is no stranger to electoral politics.
An educator, administrator and longtime advocate for technical and vocational education and training, she previously contested the Third District in the 2019 General Election as a candidate for the Virgin Islands Party (VIP). She finished third in that contest with 289 votes, behind incumbent Julian Fraser and National Democratic Party candidate Aaron Parillon.
Seven years later, Smith-Thompson is taking a very different route.
Her decision to contest an At-Large seat as an independent comes after she initially emerged publicly alongside the All 13 movement, a political initiative built around the call for a wholesale change in the membership of the House of Assembly.
Smith-Thompson and the group have since gone their separate ways.
No formal reason for the separation has been publicly established. However, GBM understands that differences in outlook and approach meant the two sides ultimately did not see eye to eye.Neither side, at this stage, has publicly detailed the circumstances surrounding the split.
The development is significant because Smith-Thompson is not simply another newcomer testing the political waters.
When she spoke publicly about a possible candidacy earlier this year, she pointed to the economy, young people, infrastructure and broader participation in the Territory’s development as issues motivating her. She also said that she did not want to remain on the sidelines complaining about problems if she believed she could play a role in changing them.
Her move therefore adds another experienced voice to an increasingly crowded independent field.
The Independents Are No Longer An Afterthought
Smith-Thompson joins Cindy Rosan, Lesmore Smith and Sandra Phillip-Hodge, all of whom have already declared their intentions to contest the upcoming election outside the traditional party structure.
Rosan announced in July that she would contest a Territorial At-Large seat as an independent, positioning her campaign around service, integrity, courage, accountability and giving people a greater voice in the affairs of the Territory.
Smith, meanwhile, has settled on an independent candidacy in the Fifth District. He has previously been associated with the Progressive Virgin Islands Movement and was an At-Large candidate in 2019. His current campaign represents a return to frontline politics, but this time without a formal party label.
Phillip-Hodge declared her intention in August to contest an At-Large seat independently. Her early policy positions have focused heavily on equal opportunity, opposition to political favouritism, immigration and labour policy, and the need for a stronger national youth policy.
Taken together, these candidacies suggest that independent politics in the BVI may be evolving from an occasional protest vote into a genuine electoral force.
That does not necessarily mean independents will win seats.
But they could have a meaningful impact on the distribution of votes—and, in a close election, that could be just as important.
Five Political Forces—and Counting
The independent candidates are entering an election environment that could see at least five significant political parties or political groupings competing for voters:
- Virgin Islands Party (VIP)
- National Democratic Party (NDP)
- People’s Leadership Movement (PLM)
- Virgin Islands Innovative Association (VIIA)
- All 13 - Your Turn
The VIP remains the governing party and is expected to defend its position under Premier Natalio Wheatley.
The NDP, meanwhile, has been rebuilding its political machinery and has already begun announcing candidates. Party Chairman Marlon Penn has said the party has selected a full slate, although not all candidates have yet been publicly rolled out.
The People’s Leadership Movement, led by former legislator and businessman Mark Vanterpool, is positioning itself as another alternative to the two traditional political forces. The PLM has promised to field candidates across the districts and has already begun unveiling its slate, including Clifton Forbes in the Third District.
The newly formed Virgin Islands Innovative Association, meanwhile, has entered the race with former BVI Health Services Authority human resources manager Levor Lettsome as its first declared At-Large candidate. The group says it intends to field additional candidates.
Then there is All 13, which began as a grassroots movement demanding a complete change in the Territory’s elected leadership and has increasingly been discussed as a potential electoral vehicle rather than simply an advocacy campaign.
That makes for an unusually fragmented political landscape.
And fragmentation cuts both ways.
The Big Question: Who Benefits?
The biggest question may not be whether voters are dissatisfied with the status quo.
There is ample evidence that a significant portion of the electorate is.
The bigger question is whether that dissatisfaction can be converted into a coherent alternative.
Five political groupings, plus independents, can give voters more choices. But they can also divide the opposition vote.
That is particularly important in a system where four At-Large candidates are elected across the Territory and district seats are decided individually.
The BVI has seen vote splitting before. In 2023, independent candidates and multiple political parties competed for support, with the VIP ultimately emerging as the largest single force and subsequently forming the government.
That history creates an uncomfortable possibility for every group campaigning for change: the more alternatives there are, the easier it may become for the existing political establishment to survive.
Indeed, Rosan herself previously warned that emerging political factions could inadvertently “shoot yourselves in the foot” if they failed to find common ground, arguing that fragmentation could give the existing political structure a greater chance of returning.
But There Is Another Way to Read It
There is also a more optimistic interpretation.
Perhaps what the BVI is witnessing is not simply political fragmentation, but political awakening.
People who previously operated within parties are choosing different paths. New organisations are being formed. Independents are stepping forward. Individuals who have never contested national office are considering whether they can offer something different.
And the common thread running through much of the emerging political conversation is a demand for better representation, accountability and a greater voice for ordinary residents.
The question now is whether these individual movements can convince voters that they are more than vehicles for dissatisfaction.
Can they present credible candidates?
Can they produce detailed policies?
Can they explain how they would govern?
And perhaps most importantly, can they convince voters that electing them would actually result in a different kind of government?
Those questions will matter as much as the personalities themselves.
For Smith-Thompson, the transition from VIP candidate in the Third District, to an association with All 13, and now to an Independent At-Large candidacy makes her political journey particularly interesting.
For Rosan, Smith and Phillip-Hodge, their candidacies represent different versions of the same broader challenge to the traditional party model.
And for the VIP, NDP, PLM, VIIA and All 13, the challenge is even greater: they must persuade voters not only that they deserve a vote, but that they can turn that vote into effective representation.
With the next general election constitutionally due by 2027, the BVI’s political contest is already taking shape.
And if the current trajectory continues, voters may have more choices than ever before.
The question is whether more choices will produce more meaningful change—or simply more ways to divide the vote.