Jamaica Observer
The Caribbean Community, at the invitation of the Government of St Kitts Nevis, is fielding a Caricom Election Observation Mission to monitor today’s general election in the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
According to Caricom, the three-member mission will be headed by Gasper Jean Baptiste, chief elections officer of St Lucia, who has served as a member of Caricom Election Observation Missions to other Caricom member states.
The other members are Arley Gill and Chester Arlington Humphrey, both from Grenada.
In a statement Caricom said:
“The Caricom Election Observation Mission proposes to meet with the electoral officials, leaders of political parties and other stakeholders of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, and will monitor the voting process including the opening of the polls, the casting of votes, the closing of the polls and the counting of the ballots.”
The members of the Observation Mission arrived in St Kitts-Nevis on Wednesday and will depart this Sunday June 7th.
The Election Observation Mission will issue a preliminary statement, based on its observations and findings.
A report on the general elections will be subsequently prepared and submitted to the secretary general of the Caribbean Community.
For Caricom, election observation serves as a platform to support existing democratic traditions within the Caribbean Community as part of its wider policy of supporting democracy and good governance.
The Caricom secretary general said that in this regard, at the request of the Government of the Federation of St Kitts-Nevis, virtual training in election observation for a group of local election observers was conducted.
Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris and his Team Unity coalition is up against the main Opposition St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, headed by former Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas, for the 11 seats (eight in St Kitts and three in Nevis) at stake.