(CNS): As Kurt Tibbetts began to pull ahead in the race for George Town, as the capital approached the half way mark, Roy McTaggart from the C4C was holding on to second place ahead of Marco Archer with one vote between them. Alden McLaughlin the Progressive's leader was in fourth with Winston Connolly also with the C4C just 17 votes behind him. Mike Adam was clinging on to the sixth seat just 39 votes ahead of Joey Hew who was only just outside the top spots as the race in the capital began to get increasingly close. Elio Solomon was in 11the place just three votes ahead of Bo Miller but the rest of the UDP candidates began to look increasingly less like serious contenders. With three C4C candidates still in with a shot of seats however, Jude Scott and Jackie Haynes were being left behind.

(CNS): The UDP stranglehold regained its grip in West Bay as the four candidates closed around Tara as she fell from an historic first place to third. McKeeva Bush was out in first place with 12% of the poll and 415 votes, while Velma Hewitt moved up into fifth place after four boxes were counted in the district. The PNA fortunes were looking less favourable as Cline Glidden fell to 10th place and Rolston Anglin was clinging on to 8th place. Woddy DaCosta retained the PPM top position in 7th and Ray Farrington was hanging on to 9th place. Meanwhile, the final count for the Sister Islands was a huge win for Moses Kirkconnel with over 75% of the vote, while Juliana O'Connor-Connolly polled 55% to secure the second seat.

(CNS): As results rolled in from West Bay, Tara Rivers passed McKeeva Bush in an historic moment that may be short lived but is nontheless significant, as the third box was counted in the district. With 265  votes, Rivers was ahead of the 30-year incumbent by 20 votes. Coming up behind McKeeva Bush was Bernie Bush, followed by Captain Eugene and Mervin Smith (C4C), who was just a few votes behind and hovering outside the seats. While Rolston Anglin was in 7th place Cline Glidden had fallen to 9th place, Velma Hewitt was in 6th place and Woody Da Costa was the highest ranking PPM in 8th place. Meanwhile, in Bodden Town Anthony Eden passed Theresa Pitcairn while Ozzie Bodden remained in 3rd place as Charles Clifford pushed Saunders out of the seats into fifth place
 

(CNS): Arden McLean has retained his East End seat with more than 57% of the vote. The incumbent got 317 votes in total, with John McLean Jr polling 237 -- a very similar result to last election. With North Side going to Ezzard Miller, at 9pm the Sister Islands were also looking as if the two incumbents would be returned. The first results from West Bay were already very interesting, with McKeeva Bush taking an early clear lead with 91 votes and 14.75% of the first count from West Bay North West. He is currently being trailed by his running mates Bernie Bush and Captain Eugene Ebanks, while Velma Powery-Hewitt was being pushed out by Tara Rivers, who is the first of the C4C candidates that looks as though she may be in with a chance. The PPM candidates were trailing well behind the PNA, whose two candidates were very close.

(CNS) Updated: Results from the smaller districts began coming in before 8pm this evening, giving Ezzard Miller a clear lead in North Side. At 8:30pm he had 64% of the turnout and 299 votes compared to 136 votes for Joey Ebanks who polled just over 30% after 93% of the vote was counted in the district. Meanwhile, in East End things were looking far closer with Arden McLean taking 160 votes compared to John McLean who had polled 118.  Over in the Sister Islands the first results gave Moses Kirkconnell an early lead with  174 votes while Juliana O'Connor Connolly was trailing behind with 150 votes. Maxine Moore and David Bodden were closer with 32 and 39 respectively. Check back to CNS for continuous updates.

(CNS): In an unexpected turn of events, what was predicted to be a very high turnout at the 2013 General Election ended with a final number of voters below the percentage turnout of the 2009 national ballot. Although a record 14,760 people were polled, that represented only 79.94% of the voting population, falling below the 80.54% at the last election. While East End had the highest turnout with more than 87.3% of registered voters polled, in the neighbouring district of North Side the lowest percentage voted, with just over 78.3% of voters going to the polls. Meanwhile, in West Bay and the Sister Islands more than 80% of voters turned out and in Bodden Town just under 80%. In the capital of George Town 79.3% of registered voters were polled.

(CNS): By 5pm this evening 14,183 registered voters had cast their vote in the 2013 General Election. With one hour to go, almost 77% of the electorate had already been polled in what turned out to be a calm and well organised Election Day. After ten hours of voting 14,183 people had taken part in the national ballot. Last minute voters were being warned that unless they were in line at a polling station by 6pm they would not be allowed in to vote. Election officials were hoping to cope with any last minute surge efficiently to avoid a delay in the poll closing and the start of the count. Voter turn out in East End was already at 82% by 5pm and West Bay and George Town polled more than 77% of their electorates.

(CNS): As expected, the Cayman electorate is still coming out in significant numbers and combined with mobile votes and postal ballots 11, 084 registered voters had all exercised their democratic right before 1pm Wednesday. More than 60% of voters had already taken part by lunchtime, with the capital leading the turnout with over 62% of voters polled. Bodden Town had the lowest turnout at lunch time with over 57%, but with 5 hours to go election officials said the numbers were re-enforcing expectations of a very high turnout. Duncan Taylor, the Cayman Islands governor, urged everyone who was eligible to go to the polls beore they close.

(CNS): The donation that was made on behalf of McKeeva Bush in relation to the honorary doctorate that he was scheduled to receive from the University College of the Caribbean was unsolicited, the board of directors said Wednesday. In a statement released to CNS in the wake of revelations about the anti-corruption investigation in Cayman surrounding the transfer to the college from a US-based bank in connection with the degree, the board said at no time was there “any requirement for a contribution”, which it said would have been contrary to its protocol. The board said that when the contribution was made to the UCC Foundation for a Scholarship Endowment Fund it was “accepted graciously” but after “subsequent developments”  the cash was returned.

(CNS): Over 8,500 voters have now voted in Cayman's general election, including five prisoners from HMP Northward who are on remand or convicted of lesser offences and had registered to vote. More than 46% of the electorate has already voted in what is expected to be a record-breaking turn out. The polls opened this morning at 7am and by 11am almost half of those who are eligible to do so had exercised their right to vote. In addition to mobile and postal ballots already received, in East End 49.3% have now voted and in North Side 43.07%. In Bodden Town 45.08%  and in West Bay 45.15% in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman 47.79% have been to the polls, while in the capital of George Town 46.88% of registered voters have voted.

(CNS): In the first two hours of polling 20% of the electorate cast their vote at local stations for the 2013 General Elections. Combined with mobile and postal ballots, by 9am almost 27% of all voters had aleady made their choice in the largest ever election in Cayman. In Bodden Town 1,141 voters were polled in the first two hours in addition to postal and mobile votes. 828 have voted in West Bay, while in George Town 2,044 voters have already cast their vote. In East End 196 and in North Side 157 people have voted. Over in the Sister Islands more than 300 people have already been polled.

(CNS): The polling stations in Cayman opened on time this morning and election officials are expecting one of the largest turnouts of electors Cayman has ever seen. Historically, Cayman has usually voted in significant numbers, with a greater than 80% turnout for most elections, but this time the Elections Office is predicting a turnout that could approach 90%. With 56 candidates in the race, 21 in George Town alone, almost 18,500 eligible voters, more than 7,500 of which are in the capital, the final result is not expected until Thursday morning. The polls are open until 6pm this evening and officials are reminding people of the rules and how many votes they have.

(CNS): The former premier of the Cayman Islands, who is still very much in the running to be the leader of the next government, was hurling last minute allegations on Facebook Tuesday night when he posted a statement accusing his former UDP colleagues, the PPM leader and the independent member for East End of also using government credit cards for personal use. McKeeva Bush accused the governor of carrying out a “vindictive attack” on his government. He claimed that the use of the credit card was for his personal security and that the governor ousted him from office with support from Rolston Anglin, Cline Glidden, Arden McLean, Alden McLaughlin, and the C4C candidates and their management.

(CNS): A stalwart of Cayman politics, Edna Moyle, a former Speaker of the House and representative for North Side for four terms, passed away at the Cayman Islands Hospital, George Town this afternoon (21 May). A mother of five, she was a founding member of the People’s Progressive Movement and served as speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2005 until 2009. An experienced legislator and politician, Moyle lost her battle with cancer after being ill for several months on the eve of the 2013 election. With a long career in in politics, Moyle began as secretary to the Administrator of the Cayman Islands in 1966 to 1969, then became deputy clerk of the Legislative Assembly in 1971 until 1979. A working mother throughout her life, she also championed the cause of women.

(CNS): A group of Cuban refugees which includes several people who have landed and been deported from Cayman before has turned up in Little Cayman. The group of thirty migrants which includes one woman developed engine trouble near Cayman Brac this morning. However, the refuges pressed on after the weather cleared, stating that they were on their way to Honduras, but instead ended up in Little Cayman. It is not clear where the migrants are now but immigration officials say the group includes a number of repeat travellers, including one person who has been to the Cayman Islands three times previously.