With just days to go until 1 March, Nomination Day, negotiations are already under way to create a Progressives-led coalition campaign.
After dropping hints about a “coalition manifesto” in comments during press conferences throughout the month, Premier Alden McLaughlin confirmed on 24 Feb. that he was talking to representatives from “almost every constituency” in the Cayman Islands, as “we are doing everything we can to form the next administration”.
The current administration consists of a 12-member-strong coalition of Progressives, the Cayman Democratic Party (formerly the United Democratic Party) and independents.
As of 25 Feb., East End hopeful Isaac Rankine was the only non-incumbent independent candidate to state that, if elected, he would opt to join the government benches. However, he issued a statement clarifying he was not joining the Progressives party.
Rankine met with the premier on 24 Feb., “to explore the opportunity to enable the district of East End to emerge from the political wilderness that we have been languishing in for the past 20 years”, he said in the statement.
Rankine will be taking on veteran MP and Leader of the Opposition Arden McLean, who has held the East End seat for 12 years, over three consecutive terms.
Asked about his meeting with Rankine, McLaughlin stated, “Isaac and his committee are continuing to explore how best they can position him as a candidate to become a member of the next administration. Currently, his committee – and I think most of the country – views the Progressive-led coalition as really being the only organised entity there is contesting these elections and therefore the most likely to form the next administration. It’s just very sensible politics.”
The premier was speaking at a briefing called by West Bay South MP Tara Rivers, who serves in McLaughlin’s Cabinet as financial services minister, where she announced that she did not intend to run for re-election this year.
According to McLaughlin, her seat had been considered a “certain” one, so his party now would look to fielding a candidate in that constituency – which the premier said was unlikely – or forming an alliance with another party candidate or an independent.
He told reporters he was not in a position to confirm he had an agreement with any specific candidate in West Bay South to become a part of the coalition, but said, “We are talking to a number of people. I believe most of the persons that we are aware of who will contest that seat will be prepared to work with the government.”
As of 25 Feb., Raul Nicholson-Coe, an independent, was the only candidate to have officially announced he planned to run in West Bay South.
McKeeva Bush, who had served as Speaker of the House between 2017 and the dissolution of parliament in early February, is running again in his constituency of West Bay West. His conviction for assaulting a female bar manager at Coral Beach bar last year led to calls for him to be removed as Speaker, and a push for a no-confidence motion and debate on the issue essentially led to the election being called earlier than the original 24 May date. He has been a member of the coalition National Unity Government since the 2017 election.
On 26 Feb., Mario Ebanks, a former Progressives party member, announced his declaration to run against Bush.
Asked if he would be willing to work with a coalition government, Ebanks said, “At this time, I can say that while it is possible I would join a coalition government, it would depend on who the people are that comprise it and what is their agenda or manifesto. I am, however, an independent candidate and no longer affiliated with the Progressives since I resigned from them in 2012.”
Aspiring candidates are required to seek formal nomination on 1 March in order to contest the 14 April ballot.
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