CAYMAN VOTES: COALITION PENDING AS POLITICAL OUTCOME INCONCLUSIVE

The outcome of voting in Wednesday’s general election in the Cayman Islands is inconclusive.

No party or group of independents has secured an absolute majority of the 19 seats at stake. At the end of ballot counting early on Thursday morning, the People’s Progressive Movement(PPM/Progressives) led by Joey Hew had won seven seats, with the other 12 seats locked in a four-way tie between the other two parties and independent candidates.

The newly-formed The Cayman Community Party(TCCP) led by Andre Ebanks and the equally new Cayman Islands Community Party(CINP) of Dan Scott each won four seats as did four independent candidates.

This now leaves the door open to the formation of a coalition government.

At the close of the polls at 6:00 pm, voter turnout was 73 per cent.

A three-question referendum was also held during the election vote on a proposed cruise pier, legalising gambling and decriminalising cannabis.

The outcome of that was more decisive.

Voters rejected the idea of the cruise ship pier but voted in favour of legalising gambling and decriminalising cannabis.

(More updates coming. For a detailed breakdown of the voting see the accompanying article).