By Caribbean News Now contributor
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Voters in the Cayman Islands go to the polls on Wednesday in general elections largely characterised by a high degree of uncertainty, with neither of the two main political parties having reason to be confident of outright victory.
With no formal opinion polls taken prior to the election, unofficial polling by local media has varied widely, with no consistent trend.
The Cayman Islands constitution sets out a process for the selection of a premier following an election. If either party gains a majority it will have the right to select the premier and inform the governor of its recommendation.
If neither party gains enough seats to select a premier, the constitution requires that a meeting of the Legislative Assembly be called and a vote taken among the 18 elected members. The candidate who wins the backing of the majority of the elected members will be appointed premier by the governor.
The political status quo in the Cayman Islands was shaken up at the end of last year with the arrest of then premier McKeeva Bush on suspicion of fraud and corruption. He has since been formally charged with two counts of misconduct in public office, four counts of breach of trust by a member of the Legislative Assembly, and five counts of theft.
One week after his arrest on December 11, 2012, Bush was ousted from office when Cayman Islands lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in him, which led to a split of his United Democratic Party (UDP) and a subsequent minority government in the territory.
Notwithstanding the criminal charges against him, Bush is running for re-election and, given the fractured state of party politics in the Cayman Islands, there is a distinct possibility that he might once again command a majority in the local parliament.
