When the count concluded in the final district seat in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Progressive National Party (PNP) had won six of the ten districts and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) four.
The results of the five “at large” seats at expected to be announced during the day on Saturday.
The results of the district vote are as follows:
Grand Turk, North: George Lightbourne PNP 353; Derek Rolle PDM 336; 6 rejected ballots
Grand Turk, South: Edwin Astwood PDM 524; Rex Elton Swann PNP 292; 5 rejected ballots
South Caicos: Norman Saunders PNP 219; Edith Cox PDM 132; 1 vote rejected
Middle Caicos and North Caicos: Ricardo Don Hue Gardiner PNP 261; Ashwood Forbes PDM 250
Leeward, Providenciales: Akierra Missick PNP 337; Ezra Taylor PDM 305; Benneth Williams IND 4; Rejected ballots 3
The Bight, Providenciales: Porsha Stubbs Smith PNP 335, Sonny Alexander Forbes PDM 294; Dorell Pratt Delancy PPP 36; Rejected 4
Cheshire Hall and Richmond Hill, Providenciales: Amanda Missick PNP 394; Oral Selver PDM 364; Edwards Smith PPP 58; Rejected 13
Blue Hills, Providenciales: Goldray Ewing PDM 347; Adrian William PNP 232; Wendal Wilson PPP 84; Rejected 9
Five Cays, Providenciales: Sean Astwood PDM 347; Clay Ewing PNP 253; Harold Charles PPP 103
Wheeland, Providenciales: Vaden Delroy Williams PDM 265; Gregory ONeal Lightbourne PNP 157; Zhavargo J. Jolly PPP 29
According to the reported results, the PDM received the greatest popular vote for district candidates at 3,164. The PNP received 2,833 votes, and the PPP 316.
Akierra Missick who won the Leeward Provo seat for the PNP by only 32 votes may face disqualification due to her dual citizenship. She was born in the USA of TCI parents but filed as having been born in Grand Turk. Later, when this was revealed, she said it was an error and has reportedly taken steps to renounce her American citizenship. She had registered to vote in the US in 2008 and maintained an election registration card for the 2012 election.
Also close was the combined district of North and Middle Caicos which elected Don Hue Gardiner of the PNP but only by an 11 vote margin. It appears the votes from Middle Caicos Bambarra and Lorimers communities did the job for Gardiner as they voted 100% for the PNP candidate. However, Gardiner is reported to have received nearly $250,000 in payments from the former Misick government for advisory services and this may throw the spotlight on this winning candidate by the Integrity Commission and possibly the special investigations and prosecution team (SIPT).
If both of these and other PNP wins withstand scrutiny by the Integrity Commission, the PDM will have to win four of the five “at large” seats to control the government. This is only possible if the party maintains its majority share of the popular vote thus far recorded in the district polls.
The election was contested by 37 candidates, drawn from three political parties and two independents.
There are 19 seats in the House of Assembly, with 15 being directly elected and the other four appointed by the governor, of which two are nominated by the premier and the leader of the opposition respectively. Ten of the seats are elected in single member constituencies and five seats are “at large”.
|