Turks & Caicos First Female Premier Receives Proclamation From Governor

Sharlene Cartwright Robinson of the People`s Democratic Movement and new Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands with H.E Governor John Freeman. (Facebook image)

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos, Mon. Dec. 19, 2016: It’s official! Turks & Caicos has its first female premier. Sharlene Cartwright Robinson  of the People`s Democratic Movement over the weekend received the Proclamation for Premier from the island’s governor H.E Governor John Freeman. The elected Premier is appointed by the governor to serve a 4-year term.

The PDM win comes after the party’s 10-5 win over the Progressive National Party (PNP) led by Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing. Ewing on Friday resigned as leader of the PNP after his party’s loss and losing his at-large seat and also said he will be quitting politics.

Premier Cartwright Robinson is a lawyer and led a team called “The Dream Team” to the election. She had accused the Ewing-led government of having led the TCI into an abyss for which the citizens are suffering.

The PDM has promised all citizens including “‘Belongers,’ that they will have a “fair share” of the wealth of the Turks and Caicos Islands if it is elected to office and its government would make all citizens shareholders of this wealth fund, and disburse shares to them from birth, which they can cash in at retirement.

“A PDM government believes that all our Belongers must have a fair share in the wealth of our country. PDM Government is committed to not just create savings for our people, but to actually put that money back into your pockets, even as we secure your financial stability for the future! Your children and our grandchildren will be shareholders in the future of a prosperous Turks and Caicos Islands,” Cartwright-Robinson said before the election.

Voters in the Turks and Caicos Islands went to the polls on Thursday, December 15, 2016 to elect a new government. The 7,800 voters had three choices: the ruling PNP; the PDM and the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) led by Oswald Skippings.

The PNP had won the last election by eight seats to the PDM seven in 2012.