Above: the TCI House of Assembly

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Turks and Caicos Islands will hold a by-election on March 22 for the Cheshire Hill and Richmond Hill District, Governor Ric Todd announced Tuesday.

The by-election comes after a court ruling invalidated the election of Amanda Missick, citing the fact that one candidate, Dr Edward Emanuel Smith, was not eligible to run due to his dual citizenship with the United States.

The move left both the Progressive National Party and the People’s Democratic Movement with an equal number of seats in the House of Assembly, meaning the by-election could mean a new Premier and government for the territory.

A second petition challenging the result in Grand Turk North District was dismissed Tuesday by the Supreme Court, with a third petition regarding the North and Middle Caicos District withdrawn on Monday.

“After some weeks of uncertainty the outcomes from the election petitions are now clear,” Todd said in a statement. “As we are all aware, the Court’s decision on the Cheshire Hall petition means that an equal number of elected seats in the House of Assembly are held by the PNP and PDM. It makes sense to resolve this situation as swiftly as possible with a by-election in March.”