CAYMAN VOTES: COALITION PENDING AS POLITICAL OUTCOME INCONCLUSIVE

By Staff Writer

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.

Voter turnout was 73.5 per cent slightly under the 2021 election figure of 74 per cent.

A revised 25,606 from a previous 25,643 persons were registered to vote and 19,472 exercised their ballot.

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.

In all six new legislators will take their seats in the Cayman Islands Parliament. However, despite an early groundswell of speculation starting Thursday morning, it was still not immediately clear up to press time what shape the next Cayman Islands coalition government will take.

In one of the major upsets of the election, veteran politicians and former premier McKeeva Bush, one of Cayman’s longest-serving politicians, lost his West Bay West seat to newcomer Julie Hunter of the CINP. Mr Bush ran as an independent.

In Prospect, Michael Myles running with the CINP narrowly edged out incumbent Sabrina Turner of the TCCP by 367 votes to 351. In a noteworthy first-time run Crystal Gomez Wilson of the PPM managed to poll 288 votes.

Over in George Town East, it was a close call for incumbent Roy McTaggart the former PPM/Progressives leader, who held on to the seat by a mere 33 votes against CINP’s Bud Johnson by just 12 votes (429-417).

George Town Central remained a stronghold for the incumbent Kenneth Bryan who ran under a PPM/Progressives banner this election. The high-profile tourism minister convincingly won his seat with 750 votes or 67.8 per cent.

What was expected to be a drama for the Cayman Brac East seat fizzled out, although retaining some semblance of political theatre. Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly - of the remnants of the outgoing United People’s Movement(UPM) administration but who ran on a PPM ticket - easily won first-timer and CINP leader Dan Scott. She polled 236 votes to the CINP leader’s 160.

However, the CINP won the vacant Cayman Brac West/Little Cayman seat vacated by ex-PPM tourism minister Moses Kirkconnell. Nikolas DaCosta(CINP) with 262 votes won that seat over independent candidate Lonny Tibbets.

Elsewhere, Royston Anglin returned to politics with a resounding victory in West Bay North polling more votes than his four opponents combined. The former legislator running as an independent secured 509 votes, a little more than half of the 1,011 votes cast there.

In Northside, incumbent Johany ‘Jay’ Ebanks(independent and current UPM and former PACT minister) romped to victory capturing 74 per cent of the votes cast.

It was a similarly solid victory for TCCP leader Andre Ebanks in West Bay South racking up a dominating 979 votes or 76.1 per cent against independent candidate/radio show host Sterling Dwayne Ebanks.

TCCP scored another responding victory in West Bay Central with incumbent Kathryn Ebanks-Wilks scoring 604 votes or 66.9 per cent of the ballot.

It was an equally strong showing for ex-Premer and former PACT leader Wayne Panton running with the new TCCP in Newlands. Mr Panton retained his seat with almost half the votes cast(48 per cent) compared to his two opponents.

Securing another seat for the TCCP was Heather Bodden (ex member of Mr Panton’s PACT and who like him is now with the TCCP) got an easy win in her Savannah constituency with 59.6 per cent of the vote. She defeated sole opponent and first-time candidate, former government communications specialist Donna Bush who ran with the PPM/Progressives.

In the vacant George Town East seat, Pearlina McGaw- Lumsden this time running with the PPM/Progressives, retained that seat for the party following the retirement of then-incumbent David Wight(PPM). She polled 438 or 53.1 per cent of the votes.

Another key vacant PPM/Progressives seat, Red Bay previously held by former premier and current Speaker, Sir ALden McLoughlin, was held for the party by its chairman Roy Tatum. He edged out his closest rival Melrose Natasha Whitelock in the three-way race by 334 votes to 301.

George Town South saw victory for the CINP with Gary Rutty locking down just about half of the total votes cast, pulling in 516 or 50.6 per cent.

In Bodden Town West, independent Chris Saunders, kept his seat with 462 or 44 per cent of the votes. Across in Bodden Town East, another incumbent, Dwayne ‘John-John’ Seymour, running with PPM/Progressives ensured his return to Parliament polling a little over half of the votes cast with 680 votes or 56.2 per cent.

In East End, Isaac Rankine running as an independent held on to the seat he won in 2021 by getting more votes than his four opponents combined.

Of the 739 votes approved, Mr Rankine won 390 or 52.8 per cent while his challengers accumulated 343 votes among them.

The swearing-in of the elected Parliamentarians and the formation of the coalition government are the next crucial steps in Cayman’s 2025 election process.

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