A former leader of the Turks and Caicos Islands was set to return to power Saturday after his party secured a landslide victory in the tiny British territory’s general elections.
Washington Misick’s Progressive National Party (PNP) won 14 of 15 seats up for grabs in Friday’s contest after pledging to “turbo-charge” the economy, create jobs and slash the high cost of living on the sun-soaked Caribbean archipelago of 40,000 people.
The 70-year-old is the older brother of corruption-accused ex-premier Michael Misick but is widely viewed as a stalwart, judicious presence with many years of political experience. He led the islands in the early 90s and was also finance minister from 2012 to 2016.
The PNP wrested power from the People’s Democratic Movement — led by the territory’s first female prime minister, Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson — after a single term.
Cartwright-Robinson, 49, had hoped to convince voters that her handling of the Covid crisis, plus two hurricanes in 2017, would secure her party a second stint.
She had also promised to create 2,000 new jobs in the non-service sector and boost financial support for small businesses.
Washington Misick’s return to power will further complicate debate over how to proceed with the long-running and costly prosecutions of erstwhile leaders, including of his brother, which have racked up costs topping 100 million dollars. Former politicians are said to have amassed vast fortunes through the sale of Crown land, among other things.
The trials were thrown into disarray earlier this month after the sudden death of the elderly judge who had been presiding over them since they began in 2016. The Director of Public Prosecutions is set to rule on what happens next on March 1.
Michael Misick was among the first to congratulate his sibling, posting the words “WE WON!” on his Facebook page as counting drew to a close.
Cartwright-Robinson conceded defeat, saying she was “grateful and thankful” to her supporters.
Turks and Caicos is currently battling 300 active cases of Covid-19 and there had been fears that the election would be postponed.
Instead there was a slew of safety measures in place with mandatory mask-wearing and polling station staff working behind Plexiglas screens in full PPE. Quarantined voters –- including Covid-positive residents –- were restricted to stipulated evening voting hours.
Results released Saturday morning showed the PNP won nine of 10 constituencies, plus all five ‘at-large’ seats representing an all-island district. The four other seats in the 19-seat House of Assembly will be appointed by the governor.
