Turks and Caicos Politics

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory. The territory’s legal system is based on English common law, with a small number of laws adopted from Jamaica and the Bahamas. Suffrage is universal for those over 18 years of age and English is the official language. Grand Turk is the administrative and political capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Cockburn Town has been the seat of government since 1766.

As a British territory, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is the sovereign, represented by a governor. The head of government is the premier. The cabinet consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the House of Assembly.

The unicameral House of Assembly consists of 21 seats, of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms. The judicial branch of government is headed by a Supreme Court and appeals are heard by the court of appeals and final appeals by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. The islands also have a Court of Appeal with a President and at least two Justices of Appeal.

The winning party of Turks and Caicos’ first general election in 1976, the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), pursued a policy of full independence for the islands. In 1980, the PDM agreed with the British government that independence would be granted in 1982 if the PDM was reelected in the elections of that year. That election was effectively a referendum on the independence issue and was won by the pro-dependency Progressive National Party (PNP), which claimed victory again four years later. In April 2006, PNP Premier Michael Misick reaffirmed that his party saw independence from Britain as the “ultimate goal” of the islands.

In 2004, Conservative Canadian MP Peter Goldring visited the Turks and Caicos to explore the possibility of annexing the islands. He drafted a motion asking the Canadian Government to look into the issue, but his party declined, citing immigration, tourism, and economic issues. However, the Canadian government has
not dismiss the possibility of a future union with the Turks and Caicos.

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