A general election is held when Parliament is dissolved by the Governor on the advice of the Premier of the day. General elections must be held every four years at least.

The Cayman Islands is divided into 19 electoral districts or constituencies. Voters in each electoral district elect one Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) to serve in the Legislative Assembly on the first past-the-post system.

A political party is a group of people who seek to influence or form the government according to their agreed views and principles. There are two main political parties in the Cayman Islands. Each party nominates one candidate for each constituency. Independent candidates may also stand for elections.

The party that wins the most constituencies is asked by the Governor to form the government. The leader of that party becomes the Premier. If the party wins in more than 10 constituencies, it will have a majority government, which makes it much easier to get legislation passed in the Legislative Assembly. If the winning party has fewer than 10 seats, it forms a minority government. In order to get legislation through the Legislative Assembly, a minority government usually has to adjust policies to get enough votes from MPs of other parties.

The party that has the second highest number of seats in the Legislative Assembly is called the Official Opposition.

Any citizen of the Cayman Islands who is 21 years of age or older and resident in the Cayman Islands is eligible for election to the Legislative Assembly.

In the Cayman Islands, the Premier may call general elections at any time, though no more than four years may lapse from one general election to the next. All seats in the Legislative Assembly are vacant and the political party that wins the most seats in the subsequent general election form the government. Aside from general elections, for which all seats are open, by-elections are held when a MLA dies or resigns.

The Premier's power of discretion adds an element of spontaneity to the electoral process that does not exist in systems where voting dates are fixed on the calendar. Premiers generally ask the monarch, the formal head of state, to dissolve Parliament when they think their party has the best chance of winning a general election.

Other factors may force an election on a Premier. It is a convention (established practice) that if a government is defeated in the Legislative Assembly on a vote of confidence, then a general election will follow.

Any person who is a Caymanian citizen may stand as a candidate at a parliamentary election providing he or she is aged 21 or over. Anyone who wishes to stand for election must be nominated on an official nomination paper submitted on Nomination Day. They must stand either for an established political party or as an independent.

Once the Premier decides to call a general election then he or she will go to see the Governor to request that Parliament is dissolved. If the Governor agrees then a Proclamation is issued which officially allows the dissolution (bringing to an end) of the Parliament. It is customary for the Premier to make a statement announcing the date of the dissolution and usually the reason for calling a general election.

How long is an election campaign?

The formal campaign is a relatively short-lived affair: the Premier must give a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of six weeks' notice for a general election. In practice, informal campaigning tends to start much earlier.

What happens once Parliament has been dissolved?

Once Parliament has been formally dissolved, the Clerk of Parliament issues Writs of Election for each of the 19 constituencies and the election timetable commences.

During the election campaign, all the main political parties produce a wide range of publicity material. Manifestos will be published setting out the party's policies on each major issue. The headquarters of each party is responsible for preparing party election advertising material and broadcasts for television and radio.

How much can candidates spend on the election?

Each candidate who contests a general election has an expenditure limit, broadly based on the number of registered voters in the constituency.

the Cayman Islands has universal adult suffrage, i.e. you are entitled to vote in a general election if you are a Caymanian citizen, and will be 18 or older on polling day.

Elections are by secret ballot. Ballot papers are anonymous, to prevent undue influence on voters, and the ballot boxes are sealed to prevent electoral fraud.

On Polling Day or Election Day, Caymanians vote not for a Premier, but for candidates running in each of the 19 single-seat constituencies throughout the Cayman Islands. A party needs to win 10 electoral districts to command a majority in the Legislative Assembly, which allows it to choose a Premier, formally appointed by the Governor. Once selected, the Premier begins the task of forming a government.

Voting is by secret ballot, and the only people allowed in the polling station are the presiding officer (who is in charge), the polling clerks, the duty police officers, the candidates, their election agents, polling agents, and the voters. Just before the poll opens, the presiding officer shows the ballot boxes to those at the polling station to prove that they are empty. The boxes are then locked and sealed.

In the polling station voters are directed to the presiding officer or polling clerk, who asks the voter his or her name, checks that it is on the register, and places a mark against the register entry. This records that the voter has received a ballot paper but does not show which one. The officer or clerk gives the ballot paper an official mark before handing the paper to the voter. The official mark is intended to show that the papers placed in the ballot box are genuine.

The ballot paper lists the names of the candidates in alphabetical order. Voting takes place in a booth, which is screened to maintain secrecy. The voter marks the ballot paper with a cross in the box opposite the name of the candidate of his or her choice, and fold the paper to conceal the vote before placing it in the ballot box.

All ballot boxes are taken to a central place in each constituency where counting takes place. Each ballot box is emptied, the papers mixed up and the votes counted by teams of helpers. This is done in the presence of the candidates. When all the votes have been counted the results are announced by the Returning Officer. Depending on the time it takes to bring all of the ballot boxes to the count and the result of the count, the final result may be announced before midnight. Most results will come in during the early hours of the morning, but some will not be known until well into the next day.

Recounts

If the result is close then either candidate can demand a recount. The Returning officer will advise the candidates of the figures and sanction a recount. Recounts can continue until both candidates and the Returning Officer are satisfied with the result.

When all of the results are known the Governor will usually invite the leader of the party winning the most seats in the Legislative Assembly to be Premier and to form a Government.

The Premier will appoint several members of his party to become members of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet

The Cabinet consists of the Premier and not fewer than six other Ministers one of whom shall be Deputy Premier, appointed by the Governor, acting in accordance with the advice of the Premier, from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly. The Deputy Governor and Attorney General are ex officio members of the Cabinet. The Governor may also appoint Parliamentary Secretaries to assist Ministers in the discharge or their functions. | Learn more »

The Opposition

The party that wins the second-largest number of seats in Parliament comprises the opposition, which forms a "shadow" cabinet poised to assume power at any time during the ruling government's five-year term.

The Governor appoints as Leader of the Opposition the person who, in his/her judgment, is best able to command the support of a majority of those members of the Legislative Assembly who do not support the Government. | Learn more »

The New Parliament

A few days after the general election the Legislative Assembly will assemble in preparation for the new Parliament to begin. All MPs must be sworn in by taking an oath of allegiance or making an affirmation, and must sign the official register. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are customarily selected by a vote of the siting members of the Legislative Assembly. | Learn more »

A by-election takes place when a seat in the Legislative Assembly becomes vacant between general elections. If there are several vacant seats then a number of by-elections can take place on the same day.

Reasons for by-elections

A seat becomes vacant during the lifetime of a Parliament either when an MLA resigns from Parliament, for example to take up a job which by law cannot be done by an MLA, or because an MLA has died. The law also allows a seat to be declared vacant because of a Member's bankruptcy, mental illness or conviction for a serious criminal offence.

A by-election does not automatically take place if an MLA changes political party.