Cayman Islanders threw out their Government on Wednesday, voting in a leader who promised a referendum to win more autonomy from Britain.

According to Thursday's official results in the Cayman Islands General Election, ousted leader McKeeva Bush's United Democratic Party (UDP) won five of the country's 15 Parliamentary seats. Meanwhile the People's Progressive Movement (PPM) and its leader Kurt Tibbetts won nine of the s

eats, with the final seat going to an independent.

According to the Associated Press, the fierce elections pitted two candidates who differed in how they would get greater autonomy from Britain with Mr. Bush reportedly wanting to change the constitution through Parliament and Mr. Tibbetts promising a referendum on the issue. Neither party was pushing for complete Independence from Britain, but merely to give more power to elected officials and less to the British Governor of the Islands. Unlike in Bermuda where Cabinet is independent of the Governor, in the Cayman Islands the Governor sits in the Cabinet.

Last night Premier Alex Scott, who has controversially indicated he would prefer a General Election over a referendum to decide the issue of sovereignty for Bermuda, said: "I do not know the issues in the election in the Cayman Islands, so it is not for me to engage in an in-depth discussion of the choices of the electorate on that Island".

The Cayman elections aside, however, the Premier said he has stated on numerous occasions that "the people of Bermuda will decide the way forward on the decision of sovereignty".

"Government is engaged in an information-gathering process and dialogue with the people of the country," he added in reference to the work of the Bermuda Independence Commission, whose report on the question of sovereignty for Bermuda is due to be handed to Cabinet in June. "That is our focus.

"So it follows that the people of Bermuda are capable of crafting a uniquely Bermudian solution."

Other issues in the Caymanian elections included the residence status that Bush's government gave to more than 3,000 foreigners in 2003, some of whom had lived in the Islands for no more than several months.