The Cayman Islands is a
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
representative democratic dependency. As a
British Overseas Territories,
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
is the
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
. The
Premier of the Cayman Islands
The Premier of the Cayman Islands is the political leader and head of government. The post of premier in the Cayman Islands is the equivalent to chief minister or prime minister in other British Overseas Territories. It is the highest political ...
is the
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
.
Executive power
The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state.
In political systems b ...
is exercised by the government,
legislative power
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known a ...
is vested in both the government and the
Parliament of the Cayman Islands
The Parliament of the Cayman Islands is the unicameral legislature of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. It is composed of 21 members; 19 elected members for a four-year term and two members ''ex officio''.
The Governor may a ...
. The
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The
Cayman Islands' physical isolation under early British colonial rule allowed the development of an indigenous set of administrative and legal traditions which were codified into a constitution in 1959. A
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
, which devolved some authority from the United Kingdom to the Cayman Islands Government, was passed by referendum on 20 May 2009. Subsequently, the islands have become largely self-governing.
The Cayman Islands Government is aided by a tradition of restrained civil governance from the United Kingdom.
Executive branch
The Cabinet is appointed by the governor on advice of the premier.
The British Crown appoints a
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, who is recruited from the UK
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...
and serves as the British representative, including his role as the direct representative of
the monarch of the United Kingdom. Daily administration of the islands is conducted by the
Cabinet.
The Deputy Governor, and the Attorney General are appointed by the Governor. Responsibility for defence and foreign affairs resides with the United Kingdom; however, the Deputy Governor handles the Portfolio of the Civil Service, and the Cayman Islands Government may negotiate certain bilateral matters directly with foreign governments.
The Governor can exercise complete executive authority through reserve powers afforded to
HMG in the Constitution. However, he must consult with the Premier prior to using such powers and must do so in the interest of the Cayman Islands (so long as it doesn't prejudice British interests). He must give royal assent to all legislation, which allows him the power to strike down any law the legislature may see fit for the country. In modern times, the Governor usually allows the country to be run by the Cabinet, and the civil service to be run by the Deputy Governor, who is also the Acting Governor when the Governor is not able to discharge his usual duties for one reason or another. The Governor of the Cayman Islands is
Martyn Roper
Martyn Keith Roper (born 8 June 1965) is a British diplomat and civil servant who has been Governor of the Cayman Islands since 29 October 2018.
Roper was the British Ambassador to Algeria from 2010 to 2014. He was appointed OBE in 2013 "fo ...
and the Deputy Governor is the
Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certai ...
Franz Manderson Franz may refer to:
People
* Franz (given name)
* Franz (surname)
Places
* Franz (crater), a lunar crater
* Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada
* Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...
.
List of Ministers:
*
Premier of the Cayman Islands
The Premier of the Cayman Islands is the political leader and head of government. The post of premier in the Cayman Islands is the equivalent to chief minister or prime minister in other British Overseas Territories. It is the highest political ...
and Minister for Sustainability and Climate Resiliency:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Gurney Wayne Panton
* Deputy Premier of the Cayman Islands and Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Labour:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Christopher Saunders
* Minister of Education, District Administration, Lands and Survey:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Juliana O'Connor-Connolly
Juliana O'Connor-Connolly is a Caymanian politician, former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands and former Premier of the Cayman Islands.
O'Connor-Connolly currently serves as the Member of Parliament for the constituenc ...
* Minister for Tourism and Transport:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Kenneth V. Bryan
* Minister for Home Affairs, Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Bernie Bush
* Minister for Planning, Agriculture, Housing, and Infrastructure:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Johanny Ebanks
* Minister for Financial Services, Commerce, Investment, Innovation and Social Development:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Andre Ebanks
* Minister for Health and Wellness:
Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
Sabrina Turner
Legislative branch
The unicameral
Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands
The Parliament of the Cayman Islands is the unicameral legislature of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. It is composed of 21 members; 19 elected members for a four-year term and two members ''ex officio''.
The Governor may ...
is presided over by an independent speaker. The Legislative Assembly has 18 elected members. Elections are held at the discretion of the Governor at least every 4 years. Members of the Legislative Assembly may introduce bills which, if passed, are then approved, returned, or disallowed by the Governor. The UK Government also reserves the right to disallow bills approved by the Governor. The Premier is limited to two consecutive terms, after which the individual who was Premier for two terms must sit out a term before being constitutionally eligible to be Premier again.
The Premier is
Wayne Panton
Wayne Panton is a Caymanian politician, currently serving as Premier of the Cayman Islands.
Biography
Panton is an attorney who served as a managing partner for Walkers. Before becoming Premier of the Cayman Islands, Wayne Panton, served as a ...
of the PACT coalition government since 21 April 2021.
Judicial branch
The four-tiered judicial system is based on English common law, colonial and local statutes. The
Cayman Islands Court of Appeal Cayman may refer to
* Cayman Islands, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom
** Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, or Little Cayman, three islands that are part of the Cayman Islands
* , a British frigate in service with the Royal Navy from 1944 to 19 ...
is the highest court on the Islands, but a final appeal may be heard by the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...
sitting in London.
The
Grand Court
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and c ...
, ranking below the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal, was first created in 1877 as a court of special limited jurisdiction by statute. It was established in its present form by the Grand Court Law of 1975, and became a Constitutional Court in 1984. It is a Superior Court of Record of First Instance, having unlimited jurisdiction in both criminal and civil matters, except when it sits as an appellate court from the lower courts or other tribunals. Grand Court judges sit either alone, or with a jury of either seven or, for murder and money laundering trials, 12.
It consists of three divisions:
* Admiralty Division - deals with
maritime law
* Family Division - deals with
family law
Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations.
Overview
Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include:
* Marriage ...
, as well as marriage and children
* Financial Services Division
The Grand Court is headed by the Chief Justice of the Cayman Islands, who is appointed by the Governor on advice from the Judicial Service Commission. The current Chief Justice is
Anthony Smellie.
List of Chief Judges of the modern Grand Court
Administrative divisions
Districts:
George Town, Bodden Town, West Bay, North Side, East End, Sister Islands (
Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about north-east of Grand Cayman and east of Little Cayman. It is about long, with an average width of . Its terrain is the most prominent of the th ...
and
Little Cayman
Little Cayman is one of three Islands that make up the Cayman Islands. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 60 miles (96 km) northeast of East End, Grand Cayman and five miles (8 km) west of West End, Cayman Brac. Little ...
)
International organisation participation
Caricom (associate),
CDB,
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
(subbureau),
IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
,
United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA),
Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union (OCTA)
History
From 2002 to 2005 the Government of the Cayman Islands sent some delinquent youth to
Tranquility Bay, a privately operated
World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS or WWASP) was an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998. WWASPS stated that it was an umbrella org ...
facility in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. The government funded the students as they were located in the centre.
[Pioro, Basia.]
Controversy surrounds Tranquility Bay
." '' Caymanian Compass''. Tuesday 13 July 2006. Retrieved on 9 August 2010.
See also
*
Elections in the Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands elect a legislature on the territorial level. The Parliament has 21 members, 19 elected members for a four-year term in 19 single member constituencies elected by first past the post and 2 members ''ex officio''.
In the 2000 e ...
*
Politics of the Cayman Islands
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Government of the Cayman Islands