Cayman Islands Government

Government - The Cayman Islands is a British dependency with a British Governor appointed by our head-of-state, the Queen of England.

Our country is ruled by a democratically-elected Legislative Assembly and an Executive Council is responsible for the daily administration of the country.

The Governor must normally take the advice of the council, except in matters of defense, internal security, external affairs, police and civil service.

The Cayman Islands is a parliamentary democracy with:

• Judicial
• executive and
• legislative

branches. The present constitution, formed 1972, provides for the government of the Cayman Islands as a British Dependent Overseas Territory. It is the third written constitution issued for the Islands by the British Crown since 1959, though there is a history of over 160 years of representative government.

The Islands' constitution has evolved as the population and economy has grown, yet Cayman has not moved to the stage where there is a chief minister. The Islands pride themselves on having an independent judiciary, emphasising that the Grand Court was established by the Constitution. In the Cayman Islands, the people elect the members of the legislature, and the legislature elects the majority of the Cabinet.