With the next House of Keys election now just weeks away, attention is turning to who will occupy the island’s 24 seats for the next five years.

But before voters decide who they want to represent them in 2026, it is worth looking back at how the last House of Keys was elected.

The 2021 General Election was held on September 23, with 65 candidates contesting 24 seats across the island’s 12 constituencies. Each constituency elects two MHKs.

It produced some striking results, including a record ten women being elected, and saw four serving ministers lose their seats.

There were also some remarkably close contests.

In Douglas South, Sarah Maltby and Claire Christian finished almost inseparable. Maltby took 1,244 votes and Christian 1,242, meaning just two votes separated the pair at the top.

The next closest winning margin came in Garff, where Daphne Caine secured 1,122 votes and Andrew Smith 1,112, a difference of just 10 votes.

In Douglas East, Joney Faragher won with 741 votes, while Clare Barber took the second seat on 692, just 49 votes behind Faragher.

And in Douglas Central, Ann Corlett and Chris Thomas took the two seats with 1,400 and 1,319 votes respectively, with Damian Ciappelli missing out despite securing 951.

MHKs are sworn in during the first sitting of the new administration following the 2021 general election - the new House of Keys
MHKs are sworn in during the first sitting of the new administration following the 2021 general election - the new House of Keys (Dave Kneale/Isle of Man Newspapers)

Some constituencies were less dramatic at the top.

Juan Watterson comfortably topped the poll in Rushen with 2,384 votes, more than 1,000 ahead of second-placed Michelle Haywood.

Kate Lord-Brennan was similarly dominant in Glenfaba and Peel, winning 2,150 votes, while Tim Crookall took the second seat with 1,134.

In Ayre and Michael, Alfred Cannan topped the poll with 2,117 votes, ahead of Tim Johnston on 1,203.

The eventual Chief Minister-elect was therefore already one of the most strongly supported candidates in his constituency, although the election did not determine the Chief Minister directly.

Following the poll, MHKs nominated Cannan to become Chief Minister, replacing Howard Quayle, who had chosen not to stand for re-election in Middle.

Elsewhere, Alex Allinson and Lawrie Hooper emerged from Ramsey, Jane Poole-Wilson and Stuart Peters from Middle, David Ashford and the late John Wannenburgh from Douglas North, and Rob Callister and Julie Edge from Onchan. Jason Moorhouse and Tim Glover were elected in Arbory, Castletown and Malew.

Overall turnout was 50.8%, with 32,893 votes cast from 64,744 registered voters.

Turnout varied considerably across the island, with Ayre and Michael recording the highest overall turnout at 62.49%, followed by Rushen at 58.28% and Glenfaba & Peel at 57.04%.

At the other end of the scale, Douglas East had the lowest turnout, at just 36.23%, while Douglas North and Douglas Central were also below 43%.

The election also reinforced the island’s independent political character.

Of the 24 elected MHKs, 21 were classified as independents, with Manx Labour securing two seats and Liberal Vannin one.

Five years on, those results provide an interesting benchmark.