United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_A team of Commonwealth election observers led by H.E. Danny Faure, the former president of the Seychelles, will head to Antigua and Barbuda to monitor the general election that will take place on 18 January 2023. Responding to an invitation from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland KC, revealed the structure of the Commonwealth Observation Group. On election day, constituent representatives to the House of Representatives will be elected.
The Secretary-General issued a statement saying, “I thank Danny Faure for accepting my invitation to lead this group and each of the Commonwealth observers for agreeing to undertake this important assignment”. She added, “The group, which is independent and impartial, will assess the overall conduct of the election and, at the end, make recommendations which will contribute towards strengthening the electoral process in Antigua and Barbuda.”
The group’s duty is to monitor the work ahead of the election, the voting, counting, and tabulation procedures, as well as the whole electoral process, and to examine any factors that might affect the process’s overall legitimacy. Before beginning their work, the group will meet with members of the country’s political parties, police officials, and a number of stakeholders, including authorities from the Electoral Commission, the media, and social society groups representing women, youth, and disabled people.
The team will submit its suggestions in a report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will distribute it to the government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Electoral Commission of the country, the leaders of participating political parties, and all Commonwealth states. Thereafter, the report will be published. The team includes five distinguished Commonwealth citizens. They will be assisted by a staff team from the Secretariat headed by Prof. Luis Franceschi, the Commonwealth’s Assistant Secretary-General. On 14 January 2023, the group is slated to arrive in Saint John’s.
