Tynwald president Steve Rodan MLC is to visit the Cayman Islands as an election observer later this month.

Mr Rodan will be one of a delegation of six observers who are travelling to Grand Cayman - a British overseas territory - ahead of their general elections on May 24.

He will be heading a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean team carrying out the observations.

The idea is to assess the electoral process and ensure procedures comply with international standards of political democracy and professional competency, and are conducted in an impartial and transparent manner.

He said: ’It is important that national elections, wherever they are held, are seen to be free, fair, and above board.

’A team of independent outside observers is a good way of doing that. It is important to the people of the Cayman Islands that they have confidence in the democratic process and their election result.

’I am honoured to have been asked to head this mission, and especially that the Isle of Man has been given another part to play on the international stage. Our report to the Cayman Islands authorities will, I hope, be used to strengthen their democracy for the future.’

Other team members will be from elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

The 2017 general elections will be the fourth since the introduction of political parties in the Cayman Islands and the first under a new system of ’one person, one vote’ in single-member constituencies.

The mission will produce a preliminary and later a final election report. This will be Mr Rodan’s second deployment to the Cayman Islands.