1988 Turks and Caicos Islands general election

General elections were held in the Turks and Caicos Islands on 3 March 1988.[1] They were the first after the suspension of the islands' constitution between 1986 and 1988, which followed Chief Minister Norman Saunders leaving office in March 1985 after being arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling (he was later found guilty and jailed)[2][3] and the next Chief Minister Nathaniel Francis resigning in July 1986 after a British parliamentary inquiry accused him of corruption.[4]

The result was a victory for the opposition People's Democratic Movement (PDM), which won eleven of the thirteen seats in the Legislative Council.[1] Following the elections, PDM leader Oswald Skippings became Chief Minister. Malcolm Daniel, leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP) and Ariel Misick, leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) both lost their seats.[1]

Electoral system

The thirteen members of the Legislative Council were elected from five multi-member constituencies with two or three seats.[1] The number of seats was increased from 11 in 1984.[1]

Campaign

A total of 39 candidates contested the elections, with the PDM, PNP and NDA all running full slates of 13 candidates.[1]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	People's Democratic Movement	5,495	59.76	11	+8
	Progressive National Party	2,727	29.66	2	–6
	National Democratic Alliance	973	10.58	0	New
Total		9,195	100.00	13	+2
Registered voters/turnout		4,346	–
Source: Caribbean Elections

References

1. General Election Results - 3 March 1988 Archived 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Caribbean Elections
2. Indicted Minister Quits Post Archived 2016-12-21 at the Wayback Machine Sun Sentinel, 23 March 1985
3. U.s. Fears Drug Trade Will Heat Up As Economy In Caribbean Worsens Archived 2016-12-21 at the Wayback Machine Sun Sentinel, 19 March 1995
4. Turks and Caicos government dissolved UPI, 25 July 1986