International observers from the UK’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Association made their way to polling stations across Cayman Wednesday to monitor the islands’ voting process.
The nine-strong team, sent on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region, were invited by Governor Jane Owen.
Rob Ward, an elected representative from the States Assembly of Jersey, and two colleagues were at the George Town Central polling station at Constitution Hall, when voting opened at 7am.
He told the Compass that the observers would be spread out across Cayman to observe the election process.
“We’ll be moving around the polling stations throughout the day and indeed across the islands … and getting a real feel for your elections as they go on today,” he said.
The observers will assess the election against international standards, commitments and obligations, as well as Caymanian laws, and plan to prepare a preliminary report which will be released at a press conference on Friday, with a final report issued within two months.
It is the fourth time an association team has observed Cayman’s elections, with the last time in 2021, which was carried out remotely because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The team sent this year includes four parliamentarians from the Isle of Man, Jersey, Scotland and Wales, as well as two election experts, and three members of staff from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK branch.
In the days prior to the polling day, Ward and the team met with election officials, political candidates, members of the public, the media and non-profit organisations, to gather information about the islands’ voting system.
A team of seven domestic observers, appointed earlier this month, also visited polling stations throughout the day. Those observers will release their own separate report following the election.
