The Opposition Progressive National Party (PNP) has won a landslide 14-to-1 victory over the incumbent People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) general elections on Friday, February 19.

TCI’s Supervisor of Elections, Dudley Lewis confirmed yesterday (Saturday January 20) that the PNP won nine of the 10 electoral district seats and all five of the at-large seats.

Surprisingly, PDM leader Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, who was elected the country’s first female premier in 2016, lost her seat; while former Health Minister, Edwin Astwood, who won the Grand Turk South seat, was the only successful PDM candidate.

With the PNP’s landslide victory 70-year-old businessman, Charles Washington Misick, who led the party, will this week be sworn in as the next premier of Turks and Caicos Islands. Misick is a former chief minister and brother of former premier, Michael Misick.

During a pre-Election Day virtual rally Thursday (February 18), Misick was confident in victory claiming, “Every survey in the last two weeks points to a PNP victory”.

He told viewers he will be sworn in as the next premier on Monday, then on Tuesday he will submit the names of Cabinet ministers to Governor Nigel Dakin and have a fully-functioning PNP government by Wednesday.

Confident of victory

“I can feel victory in my bones! I can appreciate, and I am thankful, for the confidence that I see that you the people of TCI are willing to place in my leadership and the PNP,” Misick told his virtual audience. In his address to rile up supporters, the 70-year-old businessman remarked, “we are about to witness the end of an ineffective government whose meandering has left you demoralized, but take courage because you have a reason now to hope and that hope is because of the vote that you will mark for the Progressive National Party (PNP).”

Continuing Misick contended that “Monday, February 22nd, 2021 will be a ‘red-letter day’ for the Turks and Caicos Islands. It will be the day in the life of a new government, a new PNP and this new PNP government will bring new hope to our people.”

In concluding, he charged that the PDM out-manoeuvred themselves, “They’ve overstayed their welcome and betrayed your trust and now it is time for them to be paid back. I want you to go to the polls and with coldness and boldness, vote the PDM into oblivion. We come for this work. We know the work is difficult, but I promise you we are prepared. We come for this work to ensure that none of you are left behind…..We plan to turbo-charge this economy to ensure that jobs are created.”