Martin Vickery from CPA BIMR; Deputy Rob Ward who is Head of Mission; Elinor Souch from CPA BIMR

CPA BIMR Cayman Islands 2025 Final Report.pdf

Distributed on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

CPA BIMR Election Observers were in the Cayman Islands from 21 April to 2 May 2025.

The team of election observers carried out an independent assessment of the General Election against international legal standards, commitments and obligations, as well as domestic laws.

The election observation mission had cross-party support, with all three competing political parties, as well as a number of independent candidates, engaging with the mission. 

Two months after the election the mission’s final report is now available. It says: “Election Day was held on 30 April 2025 and was conducted in a calm, orderly, and peaceful manner … The professionalism and preparedness of the polling staff was evident to the observers, as were the high levels of transparency, organisation, and efficiency in place during voting.”

The report also praises the support given to people with disabilities so they could cast their vote in a dignified and accessible manner. It says: “Exemplary efforts were made during the course of this election to ensure that the right to vote was vindicated for the community of persons with disabilities.”

Eleven recommendations have been made in the report. They include new laws to regulate the conduct of referendums, revising the constituency boundaries and finding ways to encourage more women to run as candidates. The full report is attached. It can also be found at www.uk-cpa.org 

The Head of Mission, Deputy Rob Ward from the States Assembly of Jersey, says: “I was impressed by the professional, well-organised and smooth-running of Election Day in our observations in the Cayman Islands. In particular, the Elections Office went ‘the extra mile’ to ensure persons with disabilities could cast their vote, either in their own home via mobile voting, or in polling stations where accessibility was clearly prioritised. I hope our observations detailed in this report are a helpful reflection on the operation of these elections, and play a part in bolstering democracy in the Cayman Islands.”

NOTES:

1. This international Election Observation Mission is impartial and independent.
2. This international Election Observation Mission was entirely separate from the Domestic Observation Mission which was carried out at the same time.
3. CPA UK endorses the Declaration of Principles of International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.
4. CPA British Islands & Mediterranean Region (BIMR) is one of nine regions of the CPA network and is committed to strengthening democracy and good governance. Its secretariat is based in the UK Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA UK). 
5. Since 2011, CPA BIMR has organised Election Observer Missions (EOM) across six UK Overseas Territories: Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands and St Helena. More recently, missions have gone to the Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man. CPA UK/BIMR has also overseen Election Assessment Missions (EAM) to the UK General Election in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2024
6. For further information, please email: [email protected]
7. Our X handle is @CPA _BIMR and our hashtag is: #CaymanIslandsEOM