Despite long lines and a voting process that was at times disorganised, Turks and Caicos Islands voters were enthusiastic to exercise their democratic right to cast a ballot for the first time since their constitution was partially suspended in 2009, Juliette Penn, the Virgin Islands supervisor of elections, said Tuesday.
“The people were anxious,” said Ms. Penn, who visited the United Kingdom overseas territory as part of an election observer mission. “They had waited all these years for this and they were anxious to do it. They were happy to do it.”
The UK assumed direct rule of the territory in 2009 after a report alleged widespread corruption among government ministers. The Nov. 9 election, which resulted in Dr. Rufus Ewing’s Progressive National Party winning eight of 15 elected House of Assembly seats, saw about 6,400 TCI citizens vote, according to the website TCI News Now. The territory has about 31,000 residents, according to preliminary results from its 2010 census, but the breakdown of belongers and expatriates hasn’t yet been released.
See the Nov. 22, 2012 edition for full coverage.
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