The Commonwealth will be sending a group to observe the upcoming General Elections in Saint Lucia, scheduled for 26 July.
Secretary-General Patricia Scotland announced the deployment of the five-person Commonwealth Observer Group following an invitation from the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia.
The Secretary-General said:
“While this election is taking place at a very difficult time due to challenges presented to us by the Covid-19 pandemic, the deployment of an observer group is a demonstration of the Commonwealth’s deep commitment to supporting electoral democracy in member countries.
“Election observation has long been a core function of the Commonwealth and is always undertaken with impartiality, independence and transparency.”
The observer group will be chaired by Alvin Smith, former speaker of The Bahamas House of Assembly. It will consider all aspects of the election process as a whole and determine whether the elections have been conducted in accordance with the democratic standards to which Saint Lucia has committed itself, with reference to national legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments.
The group will submit its final report for consideration by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, and she will in turn share it with the Government of Saint Lucia and other stakeholders.
The full list of Observer Group members:
*Alvin Smith – Former Speaker of the House of Assembly and Member of Parliament, The Bahamas
*Baroness Denise Kingsmill – Member of House of Lords, United Kingdom
Ian Hughes – Electoral official at the Electoral Commission of Antigua and Barbuda
*Orette Fisher – Former Commissioner/Director of Elections, at the Electoral Commission, Jamaica
*Dr. Tres-Ann Kremer – Director of the Institute of criminal justice and Security at the University of West Indies
The group will be supported by Commonwealth Secretariat staff led by Dr. Roger Koranteng, Head of Public Sector Governance, and acting Head of the Electoral Support Unit of the Governance and Peace Directorate.
