Christopher Newbury

November 10, 1956

In 1976, he represented the Oxford Union in the Observer Mace debating competition with Benazir Bhutto. In a Ravenscroft production of Macbeth, he played Macbeth opposite Guy Hands as Lady Macbeth. Newbury was appointed to the United Kingdom Delegation to the Congress of the in 1998 and joined the European People"s Party group. From 1999 he specialised in monitoring local democracy and observing elections, preparing Congress reports on local democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001 and 2006), Armenia (2003), Luxembourg (2004), Liechtenstein (2005), Serbia (2010) and Russia (2010). In a report on Liechtenstein (2006), Newbury stated that "The situation in Liechtenstein was remarkable and indeed enviable". He also headed election observations in Kosovo (November 2001), the Ukraine (March 2002), Armenia (October 2002), Gagauzia, Moldova (November 2003), and Palestine (December 2005). He was joint rapporteur for the observation of the Presidential election in Serbia and Montenegro of June 2004, heading the observation of the second round on 27 June 2004, and was rapporteur for elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in September–October 2004. He also took part in many other election observations. In 2000 and 2008 he represented the Congress at meetings of the Venice Commission and in 2003 was the rapporteur of the Congress on Public Ethics at the Local Level. He also served as rapporteur on the revision of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In 2007 he was against the Kyoto Protocol. He retired from the Congress in 2010. Since the 2009 election to Council, his electoral area covers Boyton, Bishopstrow, Chitterne, Codford, Heytesbury with Imber and Knook, Norton Bavant, Stockton, Sherrington, Upton Lovell, and part of Warminster.

Christopher Newbury Edit Profile

Conservative politician

Education

Newbury was educated at Gresham"s School and Keble College, Oxford.

Career

In 1976, he represented the Oxford Union in the Observer Mace debating competition with Benazir Bhutto. In a Ravenscroft production of Macbeth, he played Macbeth opposite Guy Hands as Lady Macbeth. Newbury was appointed to the United Kingdom Delegation to the Congress of the in 1998 and joined the European People"s Party group.

From 1999 he specialised in monitoring local democracy and observing elections, preparing Congress reports on local democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001 and 2006), Armenia (2003), Luxembourg (2004), Liechtenstein (2005), Serbia (2010) and Russia (2010).

In a report on Liechtenstein (2006), Newbury stated that "The situation in Liechtenstein was remarkable and indeed enviable". He also headed election observations in Kosovo (November 2001), the Ukraine (March 2002), Armenia (October 2002), Gagauzia, Moldova (November 2003), and Palestine (December 2005).

He was joint rapporteur for the observation of the Presidential election in Serbia and Montenegro of June 2004, heading the observation of the second round on 27 June 2004, and was rapporteur for elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in September–October 2004. He also took part in many other election observations.

In 2000 and 2008 he represented the Congress at meetings of the Venice Commission and in 2003 was the rapporteur of the Congress on Public Ethics at the Local Level.

He also served as rapporteur on the revision of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In 2007 he was against the Kyoto Protocol. He retired from the Congress in 2010.

Since the 2009 election to Council, his electoral area covers Boyton, Bishopstrow, Chitterne, Codford, Heytesbury with Imber and Knook, Norton Bavant, Stockton, Sherrington, Upton Lovell, and part of Warminster.

Politics

His report on local and regional democracy in Russia (2010) recommended the reintroduction of direct elections for regional governors, making it possible to register new political parties "without the need to demonstrate an impractically large number of members", ending the use of closed lists in elections, and measures to deal with corruption.

Membership

He was a member of the Congress of the from 1998 to 2010 and has been a member of Council since 2009. Newbury was a member of West District Council from 1995 to 2009 and of County Council from 1997 to 2009, and was also chairman of the Victoria County History. He was elected in 2013 as a Conservative, having previously stood as an Independent and is also a member of the Fire Authority.

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