After a rollercoaster campaign and a night of drama as the votes were counted, the Cayman Islands is right back where it was in 2021.
An inconclusive election result has left the major political groups scrambling to form a coalition that can lead the country. The kingmakers – yet again – are likely to be the independents in the eastern districts. Jay Ebanks in North Side and Isaac Rankine in East End won landslide victories in their own districts and hold the keys to the government.
The People’s Progressive Movement took seven seats. Independent Chris Saunders, who retained his seat in Bodden Town West, has said the PPM are the only party he will work with.
The Cayman Islands National Party lost its leader Dan Scott in Cayman Brac but took four seats, including the biggest shock of the night as Julie Hunter ended McKeeva Bush’s 40-year run in Parliament.
The Caymanian Community Party also took four seats. Those two groups were expected to quickly come together in a coalition of eight.
That leaves two major groups locked at 8-8 in a race to get the 10 seats necessary to form a government.
Rolston Anglin, the former education minister who claimed a resounding victory in West Bay North, has yet to indicate where his allegiances lie and will be another figure who could play a key role in coalition talks.
- PPM: Joey Hew, Roy McTaggart, Roy Tatum, Kenneth Bryan, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, Dwayne Seymour, Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden
- TCCP: André Ebanks, Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Wayne Panton, Heather Bodden
- CINP: Gary Rutty, Michael Myles, Julie Hunter, Nickolas DaCosta
- IND: Jay Ebanks, Isaac Rankine, Rolston Anglin, Chris Saunders
- Referendum: Cruise: no; Lottery: yes; Cannabis: yes
Ebanks looks to build coalition
André Ebanks, who along with Joey Hew, looks to be the likeliest contender for the next premier, confirmed that the party would look to break bread with the Cayman Islands National Party.
Hinting at a coming coalition government, he said he felt “completely inspired” and he “could clearly see from other results that The Caymanian Community Party has resonated in other parts of the country”.
Commenting on the national results, he said, “What we can see so far, it is a mix. But we do see there are like-minded persons that are in the Cayman Islands National Party.
“We can see there are a few like-minded, talented independents. It shows the country is looking for a coalition that can bring forward a stronger, fairer Cayman.”
Four of the five incumbent MPs for the TCCP were elected, with Sabrina Turner narrowly missing out to the CINP’s Michael Myles in Prospect. Wayne Panton and Heather Bodden were convincing victors in Newlands and Savannah, respectively.
The PPM were huddling at party headquarters on Crewe Road as the final results came in just after 3am – the added complication of a referendum leading to a later-than-usual count in many constituencies.
Hew: ‘We hope to put something together quickly’
Joey Hew, the first winner to be announced on the night, acknowledged at that point that the PPM were not going to get an outright majority and were already thinking about who they would work with.
“We do not want to get into any prolonged horse-trading like we had the last time. I don’t think the country deserves that. We certainly will not be engaged in that sort of stuff. But we hope we can put something together fairly quickly.”
Later in the night as the results became clear, deputy leader Kenneth Bryan, who won a substantial victory in George Town Central, said talks would begin immediately.
Adding that he wanted to avoid the horse-trading of 2021, he said, “We need to form a government. There needs to be some relationship building and we need to do it fast. We need to be able to tell the people fast what’s going to happen. The country needs stability; it needs direction.”
There was no word from CINP leader Dan Scott, who suffered a disappointing night personally on Cayman Brac, where the now former premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly prevailed after cancelling her retirement plans to contest that seat.
Rutty: Cayman missed the chance for a ‘great leader’
Gary Rutty, who has emerged as the likeliest leader of the CINP’s parliamentary group, said the country had missed an opportunity to have a “great leader”.
Rutty added that the party members would need to get together and discuss who would take over Scott’s role.
“Whatever it takes to help this country and this party, I’m here for. It’s bigger than me,” he said.
“It’s a shame (because of) what Dan could have brought to the table. This country has lost.”
He was nonetheless confident that TCCP could play a role in a coalition.
“We are going to be forming part of the next government and Cayman is going to breathe a sigh of relief,” he told the Compass.
Rutty, the former Burger King owner, was in high spirits as he donned a paper crown and joined celebrations at the CINP headquarters in George Town.
Elsewhere, Julie Hunter led a motorcade through West Bay for the CINP after toppling McKeeva Bush, the scandals and the court cases finally catching up with the former premier after a 40-year career that has seen him fill almost every office in the land.
She said she planned to be a leader for all.
But the parties and the celebrations for individual wins quickly gave way to the serious business of coalition building.
Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden, who won for the Progressives in George Town West, on her fourth run for office, said she was ‘humbled’ to win but was going straight to the “war room” to be a part of the negotiations.
Redemption for Rolston Anglin
Rolston Anglin, one of four independent MPs to be elected, was in no rush to nail his colours to the mast. Anglin took the West Bay North seat, returning to Parliament after 12 years in the wilderness.
“There are times when humans get redemption stories and I have gotten mine and this is going to be one hell of a story as it relates to ensuring that we make Cayman work for Caymanians,” he said.
He said the last four years had been a disaster.
“That disaster needs to end now. I am not going to join any coalition for joining a coalition’s sake,” he said, adding that there would need to be a clearly defined agreement from a public policy perspective.
Calls to Ebanks in North Side and Rankine in East End were unanswered as we went to press on this story at 4am.
The destination of the government likely lies in their hands.