Cayman Islands Election 2025

On April 28th, 2025, in a week of eventful elections across Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, and Singapore, the people of the Cayman Islands also went to the polls.

The Cayman Islands (or just ‘Cayman’ for short) are a British Overseas Territory in the northwest Caribbean, approximately 450 kilometres from Jamaica. With a population of around 70,000 and a booming financial service sector, they play an outsized role in their contribution to the British economy, making this election one to watch.

This election was significant. Various issues have plagued the islands over the last electoral term, including a rising cost of living, outside calls for supplementary regulation of the financial sector, and a debate over the future of the tourism industry.

Three parties and a litany of independent candidates vied for 19 Electoral Seats over three islands: The Progressives, The Caymanian Community Party, and the Cayman Islands National Party. Of these, the Progressives (or PPM), led by Joey Hew are the oldest established party and boast a solid record of promoting the country’s economic development.

The Community Party formed under the leadership of political prodigy André Ebanks, who in his first term in elected office quickly rose to Deputy Premier on the back of a string of political wins, most notably in negotiating a reclassification of the Cayman Islands on the Financial Action Task Force's Financial Crimes Grey List.

The National Party was led by Dan Scott, a Certified Public Accountant and former Managing Partner of EY, one of the islands’ largest accounting firms, and promised to focus on issues such as immigration reform.

The election also constituted a referendum on three issues on the ballot: constructing cruise berthing ports, decriminalising possession of marijuana, and establishing a national lottery.

No one party claimed the 10 seats needed for an outright majority, but after brief negotiations, a coalition between the Community Party, National Party, and two independents, dubbed the National Coalition for Caymanians emerged.

In his inaugural speech, Premier André Ebanks outlined the need for fiscal responsibility and a tidying of the government’s finances as his number one priority. Mr. Ebanks’ government will surely be targeted at correcting the deficit projected for this fiscal year.

The environment also seems to be a priority of this government, as the environmental lobby campaigned hard against the cruise berthing infrastructure proposition on the ballot.

With the now-Premier as the former Cayman Islands Representative to the United Kingdom, and the Foreign Secretary having paid special attention to Cayman on his first day, perhaps the next four years will see Cayman and Britain become even closer in their political relationship as Cayman continues to modernise, strengthening the special relation between Britain, its Overseas Territories, and perhaps the Commonwealth more broadly.