Election officials confirm CPA observer mission
(CNS): The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association will be sending a group of election observers to the Cayman Islands to join our local teams to observe both the referendum and the general election on 30 April. The Elections Office told CNS that there will be both international and domestic observers watching the vote again this cycle.
Cayman has invited overseas observers from the CPA since the 2013 election. In 2021, the team observed remotely because the borders here were closed because of the pandemic, but a local team observed on the ground.
In each of the last three elections, the CPA and local teams have declared them free and fair. Nevertheless, each mission over the years has offered advice to help improve Cayman’s democratic landscape. However, so far, very few of the recommendations have been adopted.
Over the years, both international and domestic observers have recommended several changes to legislation governing the elections and one of the issues that has been repeatedly addressed in their reports is campaign financing.
In 2021, the domestic observers wrote in their report that Cayman’s political financing needs comprehensive reform, including a register of political donations made and received and a framework for lobbying and lobbyists.
“The rules governing the Member’s Register of Interests should be more robust, published online and continually updated between elections,” they stated. “All nominated candidates should submit detailed accounts of their political income and expenditure, closing the loophole on the lack of penalties for non-submission from unsuccessful candidates.”
CNS recently took notes on the register of interests of all the candidates who were nominated on 3 March for this general election. We found a wide discrepancy in the declarations made by the candidates, with many offering only the briefest of information about their incomes and assets, their overall wealth or the potential conflicts if elected.
Another issue is that the rules around declaring donations apply only to the official eight weeks of an election campaign, which means that huge and undisclosed donations can be made by special interests and lobby groups up to the day before that do not have to be declared. According to the Elections Act (2022 Revision), section 67, each candidate’s election expenses cannot be more than CI$40,000.
After the Cabinet coup in 2023, when Wayne Panton was ousted by his former PACT Colleagues and Juliana O’Connor-Connolly
Juliana O'Connor-Connolly (CBE incumbent) is running with the PPM. She is the current premier and has been minister of education since May 2017. More took over the reins of government, she spoke about reforming election finances.
Speaking on Radio Cayman at the start of 2024, the new premier said she intended to look at campaign financing because it was a “very big concern”. Although it was a “very delicate subject” that politicians didn’t want to discuss, she said it was something that the people do want to discuss and she was hoping to find a way to bring forward reforms before the next election.
However, no action has been taken, and once again Cayman will be going to the polls largely in the dark about who is paying what to which would-be MP.
Check out the CNS Election Section interactive map to see who is running in each constituency.
See the list of candidates and their party affiliations here.
Category: Election News
Change writes: Every constituency has the same issue when their MP becomes a minister. It is not that they stop caring about their area, but Cabinet members have no choice but to tackle issues at national level, and that takes budget, meetings, reports, travel, conference calls, sitting with lawyers to streamline bills and laws — all […]
So, in short they only here to watch ballotts drop. Not to prove Vote Buying, threats by individuals and parties. So Cayman must kust turn a blind eye and say it dont happen????
What good are observers? The elections office needs auditors and whistleblowers. Sham ballots DHLing out to Honduras, Nicaragua, and Jamaica as we speak.
Good maybe they can pay a visit to Newlands and check out how much Raul is spending on home repairs and cash handout. It right there in your face.
” ..each mission over the years has offered advice to help improve Cayman’s democratic landscape. However, so far, very few of the recommendations have been adopted.”
This says it all.
Cayman is the only jurisdiction in the commonwealth with two tier citizenship system! No Commonwealth country outright prohibits its citizens from running for elections. [Yes.. some impose restrictions based on dual citizenship or allegiance to foreign powers].
CNS: Its been a week and I’m jonesing for another poll!
How about a Poll asking if you have received a gift or cash for your vote from a candidate since nomination day?