The One Bermuda Alliance has selected a 22-year-old LGBTQ+ rights advocate to stand at the next General Election.

The party states that Sophia Tessitore, who will run for the Opposition in Pembroke South East (Constituency 21), is the youngest candidate on the island.

Ms Tessitore graduated from Bermuda College in 2021 and has just completed her first semester of online studies with Pennsylvania State University, where she is pursuing a history degree.

She said: “As a young Bermudian, the problems of cost of living, employment, marriage equality and the environment are very important to me.

“My goal is to eradicate or improve these problematic issues through my candidacy with the OBA.

“I believe Bermuda is in a dire situation and we must invest in our economy and properly manage our island’s resources if we want to succeed in the coming decades.

“Our hard-working team at the One Bermuda Alliance is passionate about empowering every resident of this island through sensible economic policies and responsible government management that meets the needs of all Bermudians, across race, class and income bracket.”

The OBA has also selected Victoria Cunningham to stand in Devonshire North Central (Constituency 13).

Educated in Britain, Ms Cunningham, who works in reinsurance, returned to Bermuda in 2003 with a degree in physical geography from Liverpool University.

She has been chair of the Bermuda Chapter for the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters and the Bermuda Under-40s (Re)Insurance Group.

In 2015, she won the Young Industry Leader award from the Bermuda Insurance Institute and sits on the board of the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies. She also chairs the BFIS Mentor Networking Committee and sits on the BFIS Schools Outreach Committee.

A member of the OBA since 2011, Ms Cunningham has worked up from the branch level, holding positions of caucus secretary, branch campaign manager in Constituency 30 and most recently deputy chair from 2020 to 2022.