Turks and Caicos, February 9, 2025 – It took some diligence and re-learning of the electoral process back in 2012 to understand the unique practice of voting for candidates in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

No longer were voters only choosing one constituency representative, but also five all island representatives. That has since ballooned to nine due to a constitutional change which eliminated appointed seats. Now, all seats in the TCI’s parliament are held by an individual who has been duly elected by the people.

Curiosity emerged in this 2025 national poll when E Jay Saunders, a PNP backbencher won the most votes in the all island category. He finished with 4,614 and topped Washington Misick, his party’s leader and the re-elected premier, who got 4,208 votes.

They were first and second, though the difference between them was 406 votes.

It’s not the first time the most popular finisher in the all island vote hasn’t also been premier. In fact, the first time this happened the person who got the most votes – Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson – had to be contented with serving as Opposition Leader because her party was not the one with the most elected candidates. That was in 2012.

In these islands, the premiership is won when two simple requirements are met.

One, when a political party elects its leader it is constitutionally entrenched within that document that the leader, if he or she wins their seat, will ascend to premier.

Leader of party equals leader of country if that party wins the most seats to form government and if that person is a holder of one of those seats.

Two, in order to satisfy the country’s constitutional requirement, you have to be elected to parliament and deemed the leader of the party with the most seats.

In TCIs case, we have 9 seats for the all island candidates.

Any individual who ended the day as among the nine people with the most votes, they would have satisfied that requirement because they would be among the nine elected in that category.

First or fifth, you’re in the nine and you’re the party leader, then you’re the premier.

If you’re a party leader and ended up the candidate with even the ninth highest amount of votes, you would still be qualified to be country leader.

Place in this category of the race does not matter. It’s why the fight for leadership is often so fierce within political parties, why a party has to be governed by a constitution so that clear rules are established and accepted and why the organisation has to be government approved or registered.

The governor then complies with the party’s written constitution about who he or she must swear in as premier if the said party racks up the most seats.

The PNP won the most seats; 16 of 19.

The PNP chose Washington Misick as its leader, therefore Washington Misick becomes the premier.

Popularity in the all island category in TCI gives one bragging rights (if they feel like it) and insight into how the public sees or accepts them. But, that’s all.

The voters in this 2025 runoff have demonstrated that of all the 20+ candidates that ran all island or at large, EJ Saunders was or is the most popular because he got the most votes in this category. He’s got to feel good about that fact and he should. That’s some seriously bankable political capital which he can spend in a bid to become the next leader of the PNP first, then the Turks and Caicos Islands if his party is able to repeat a victory in 2030, which is when elections are constitutionally due.

Popularity is super but in the Turks and Caicos’ system it does not automatically mean, premier.

Danae Dennie

Staff Writer 

Turks and Caicos, February 8, 2025 – The Progressive National Party has won the 2025 election and now the clock starts ticking. As they take office, with their manifestos as their guide, the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) now await an improved society.

The Progressive National Party (PNP) has shared a plethora of  plans in its Citizen’s Contract 2.0, their manifesto which will be used as a blueprint for their five-year tenure for the TCI.

The question now looms, will they follow through on their promises or will they fall short?

The PNP has a track record of establishing beneficial initiatives within the country; they have instituted free education at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College for all citizens, introduced a national minimum wage and increased  public service pay.

So, what’s next? According to the PNPs’s Manifesto their vision is to build a society where social and economic progress is guaranteed for all citizens with equity, transparency and integrity as their guiding principles.

In the next five years the PNP shares that they will strive for sustainable economic growth  and development. They plan to create more employment and income opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders and boost the TCI’s potential.

Examples of these plans include supporting youth entrepreneurs through venture capital and equity investments,  and they plan to develop Agro Parks to boost the agricultural industry.

The PNP has also pledged to expand infrastructure.

As the TCI Tourism Industry booms, the infrastructure has to grow as well. The PNP hopes to expand the Howard Hamilton International Airport, South Dock and other ports.

Other developments include redeveloping the Millennium Highway to a four lane dual-carriage in each direction, developing a series of parallel roads to Leeward Highway to ease traffic congestion and facilitate traffic flow in emergencies.

As well as developing  the “Caicos Turnpike” from Providenciales to South Caicos.

They also plan to install a traffic light system in Providenciales to help regulate the flow of traffic, ease congestion and improve safety.

Energy reform is also on the list to be championed.

The PNP shares that it is committed to transforming the energy landscape of the Turks and Caicos Islands to ensure sustainability, affordability, and reliability. With plans to upgrade the power grid to accommodate an expanding renewable energy infrastructure.

A Digital Government is also being pushed for the TCI. They plan to ensure that every citizen and resident of the Turks and Caicos Islands has access to faster, more convenient, and more transparent government services through new technological advancements like AI and smart technology. They also plan to offer high-quality online courses and training to equip the young people of the TCI with the digital skills they need for the jobs of the future.

One of the major topics of discussion in this election was the state of healthcare.

In the PNP Manifesto, they shared that they  plan to build a better healthcare system that is resilient, prioritizes prevention, and embraces innovation. They will do this by establishing a National Health Services Authority (NHSA) and a National Health Information System (NHIS), this would provide Electronic Health Records, and a National Disease Surveillance System for tracking communicable diseases.

The PNP administration  also vows to rid the TCI of unregulated jitneys and provide  reliable, safe and cost-effective public transportation. Other plans include improvement on waste management. For social provision they plan to  establish new benchmarks and make provisions in the TCI budget to ensure that both equity and need are given full weight to improve the quality of life for TC Islanders. This will be done through initiatives like expanding the Children Nutritional Programme and providing high quality education at all levels as well as improving the sporting industry.

The PNP believes that every citizen should have access to adequate, affordable housing in safe fully serviced communities. In their next term, the PNP Administration will set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create economically viable communities of at least 1,000 new homes each. Their goal is to complete three communities with 3,000 homes over the next five years.

Today’s youth are the future of tomorrow. The PNP acknowledges this and has vowed to increase access to tertiary education, skills and vocational training; expand the National Youth Service to offer apprenticeship, mentorship and subsidized training with the private sector as well as  establish accessible mental health facilities and services tailored to young people in every community, including counselling and crisis support hotlines.

The major aim of the PNP government is to meet the goals put in place in their Vision 2040 plan. The PNP shares that they are committed to the rule of law, control of corruption, government effectiveness, political stability, better regulatory quality, and accountability in order to reach these goals.

To build on this foundation, the PNP highlights its track record of keeping promises and its commitment to delivering on new plans that will drive the country forward. The PNP emphasized that the promises made over the past four years were fulfilled. With a vision for a better future for the TCI, delivering on their new plans is essential for the country’s progress. The nation has chosen to keep the boat steady, hoping for smooth waters and steady sailing in the years ahead.

Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

Turks and Caicos, February 8, 2025 – When the cheering and dancing and handshakes and high fives were given the attention they rightly deserved, Washington Misick, the resoundingly re-elected premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands turned his attention from the divisiveness of the election trail to a message of solidarity.

“I have lost elections, so I know how difficult it is for you but now it is time to put partisan differences aside and work on behalf of our people,” said Misick, as he spoke pointedly to the Leader of the Opposition from his celebration stage just after midnight on February 8.

“I want to thank our wonderful and loyal supporters.  Our campaign team and our candidates who worked hard, long hours, burned the midnight oil to mount this victorious campaign.  I wanna thank my beloved wife and our extended families of all of our candidates for all of their support. Tonight’s victory belongs to you.

Because of you we will be able to continue the work of building for our children and our children’s children.  I am inviting everyone to be on this journey with us, whether you’ve voted PNP or whether you voted PDM or whether you voted independent.  I want you to be on this journey with us,” he said.

The premier, who is now serving a second consecutive term in office and serving for a third time as leader of the Turks and Caicos Islands, was flanked by his winning team and throngs of jubilant supporters assembled at the party’s headquarters in Providenciales.

While the PNP was clearly most able to energize its base, winning many of their seats by spectacular margins, voter turnout in this 2025 General Election was at an historical low.  The premier, in his victory speech demonstrated his awareness of that fact and offered an olive branch to those who skipped voting altogether, which would have been over 2,400 people, according to Elections Office statistics.

“And to those Islanders who did not vote for me or the PNP, I hope that our work, policies and programs will earn your support and your blessings.  I promise, I will hear your voices, we will hear your voices and I promise that we will be there for you and I will be your Premier too.”

The Washington Misick led team swept the At Large category securing all nine seats, which now also introduces two first time Members of Parliament.  Only three seats from the constituency races went unsecured by the PNP; it was a total of 16 seats for the party in yellow.

“On this journey, we must have great success together and we will continue the economic and social transformation together.  No journey is without bumps and setbacks, you won’t always agree with the decisions we take but I will always be honest with you about why we make those decisions and the challenges we face.”

“To every islander and every resident, we will work hard everyday on your behalf and we will create the conditions and the opportunities to give all of our people a better quality of life,” he said to vigorous applause, adding, “Let us build together in a single purpose to make our beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands the place where dreams flourish, justice abounds, love is abounding and hope is endless.”

The Premier informed supporters and those watching via social media that work for his new Progressive National Party Administration continues promptly on Monday.