ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI — October 1, 2026 — The National Democratic Party (NDP) is calling its members, supporters and friends to a general meeting next week as political activity continues to intensify ahead of the British Virgin Islands’ next general election.
According to a notice circulated by the party, the meeting will be held Thursday, October 8, at 6:00 p.m. at The Moorings Conference Room.
The invitation specifically calls on all founding members, supporters and friends of the NDP, while also welcoming new members.
“Save the date and make a special effort to attend,” the party says on the promotional flyer, which carries the theme “Let’s Build A Stronger Tomorrow, Together” and highlights the words Unity, Development, Integrity and Progress.
The meeting comes at a particularly active moment for the NDP, which has spent much of 2026 attempting to rebuild following years of internal division and the party split of 2019.
From reunification to another round of questions
The NDP entered 2026 promising reunification, with former opposition figures including Myron Walwyn and Melvin “Mitch” Turnbull returning to the party.
That reunification was followed by a closely watched internal leadership contest in April.
Marlon Penn defeated Mark Vanterpool for the chairmanship, while Turnbull became deputy chairman. Penn subsequently became Leader of the Opposition.
But the leadership contest did not end the political intrigue.
Before the April convention, Vanterpool had raised questions about delegate selection and the internal election process in a letter to the party. After losing the contest, he left the NDP and subsequently launched the People’s Leadership Movement (PLM).
Vanterpool is now building a separate political organisation and has said the PLM intends to field candidates across all 13 elected seats in the House of Assembly.
The PLM has already announced educator and construction professional Clifton Forbes for the Third District, setting up a three-way political conversation in that constituency involving the PLM, NDP and incumbent Julian Fraser.
Coy Levons’ departure adds another question
In September, another NDP name came off the expected candidate list when Coy Levons left the party.
Levons, who contested the Ninth District for the NDP in 2023 and lost to Vincent Wheatley by 78 votes, said his decision was based on his financial position, family responsibilities and personal circumstances.
His departure came as questions were also being raised about the political future of Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn.
Walwyn returned to the NDP earlier this year but subsequently lost the party’s deputy-chairmanship contest to Turnbull. When asked about public speculation surrounding his position within the party, Walwyn responded, “No comment.”
NDP Chairman Marlon Penn has likewise declined to comment publicly on the speculation surrounding Levons and Walwyn.
A new NDP candidate slate is taking shape
Despite the turbulence, Penn has maintained that the NDP is functioning and has already selected its full slate internally.
The party has publicly ratified Aaron Parillon for the Third District and Perline Scatliffe-Leonard for the Seventh District.
Former legislator Shereen Flax-Charles has also signalled her intention to seek an NDP At-Large nomination, although she has said she must first go through the party’s internal selection process.
That process could make the October 8 meeting particularly interesting as the NDP attempts to demonstrate organisation, membership engagement and unity while its candidate slate continues to attract attention.
And then there are the independents
The political field is no longer simply an NDP-versus-VIP contest.
Former Acting Permanent Secretary and educator Dr. Arlene Smith-Thompson announced in September that she will contest an At-Large seat as an independent, saying she believes party politics is no longer serving the Territory in the way it should.
Advocate and media company owner Rosemary ’Cindy’ Rosan has also declared her intention to contest an At-Large seat as an independent.
Sandra Phillips Hodge has also announced her candidacy as an At-Large independent.
Businessman Lesmore Smith has announced an independent bid for the Fifth District, where he would challenge incumbent VIP representative Kye Rymer.
Meanwhile, the PLM is establishing itself as another political vehicle outside the traditional NDP-VIP structure.
Vanterpool turns the page — but keeps looking back
Vanterpool has continued to speak publicly about the NDP, even as he builds the PLM.
Just this week, he said he respects the NDP’s current leadership but does not believe it represents the type of leadership he thinks the Territory needs at this point. He has described his own preferred approach as requiring experience, vision, courage and decisive delivery.
He has also acknowledged what he described as the greatest regret of his political career — resigning from the Fourth District seat shortly after winning it in 2019.
Vanterpool said he believes that decision disrespected the will of the voters and pledged not to repeat it.
The comments add another layer to his expected return to electoral politics, this time through the PLM.
The election clock is ticking — even if the date isn’t set
The BVI’s next general election is constitutionally due by mid-2027, rather than having a currently announced fixed election date. The Office of the Supervisor of Elections has nevertheless already begun preparations, including recruitment of election officers, while the preliminary 2026 voters list contained 16,553 registered voters.
That means the October 8 NDP gathering is taking place with the political machinery already moving.
For the NDP, the meeting represents an opportunity to put its “Unity” message into practice after months of public questions about leadership, membership and candidates.
For the wider political landscape, however, the bigger story may be that the old two-party framework is being tested from several directions at once — by the NDP’s attempt at reunification, Vanterpool’s PLM, independent candidates and a growing number of people openly questioning whether party politics should remain the dominant vehicle for political representation.
And with the NDP now telling its supporters to make a “special effort” to attend, October 8 could provide another glimpse into just how much of the party’s reunification is happening on paper — and how much is happening on the ground.