Government has rejected the Electoral Boundary Commission’s recommended changes to the local constituency boundary lines and will now be seeking a new commission to review the make-up of Cayman’s parliamentary seats.
The decision to reject the Commission’s report was taken during Cabinet’s Thursday 27 June meeting, according to a post Cabinet summary published Wednesday.
The summary stated that Cabinet had approved that Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly table a motion proposing the acceptance of an order from the governor “to reject all recommendations contained in the 2023 Electoral Boundary Commission Report”.
The motion will “seek the Governor’s support in accordance with Section 89 (1) of the Constitution, to establish a new Electoral Boundary Commission with revised Terms of Reference (TOR) to ensure equitable representation and comprehensive consultation”.
Legislators will have the opportunity to debate the motion when it is tabled in Parliament.
This decision comes after months of silence from the UPM administration on the status of the report.
There has been no official comment from the government on this latest development.
The report recommended the creation of a new constituency in Bodden Town and the redrawing of lines in 15 other districts to make the electors’ numbers more in line with international standards.
Compiled by commission chair Lisa Handley and members Steve McField and Adriannie E Webb, the document was delivered in August 2023.
Since then, there had been no comment on the recommendations that were made, nor whether the report would be accepted.
The Compass has also repeatedly queried how much the exercise has cost the public purse.
Leader of the Opposition Roy McTaggart had previously stated his concerns about the delay and silence on the report, especially with the 2025 general election approaching.
Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell, responding to Compass queries back in May, had said the timing of the presentation of the boundary report to Parliament is determined by the premier and other elected officials, but that his team were “prepared to undertake the necessary measures to inform registered voters of the proposed changes to their electoral districts, per the 2023 Electoral Boundaries Commission (EBC) recommendations,” he said then.
What the report says
The report, which was completed after public consultations last year, offered one set of proposed adjustments to constituency boundaries in West Bay, George Town, North Side, East End, and the Sister Islands.
It also offered two sets of adjustments to Bodden Town – one map with four constituencies and a second map with five constituencies.
Specifications for the boundary lines were also provided.
With the changes, the commission also recommended constituency names be switched to numerical designations to more accurately reflect the communities where the new lines will fall, such as George Town 1 and George Town 2.
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