Governor confirms joint observer mission for VI’s election
“The Joint Observer Mission has been organised by CARICOM and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands & Mediterranean Region (BIMR),” the release added.
The Joint Observer Mission will be led by Ambassador Rudolph Collins, former Chairman of the Elections Commissions in Guyana and will include Eugene Petty, former Supervisor of Elections, St Kitts and Nevis, Mignon Bowen from the CARICOM Secretariat, Guyana, Conor Burns, Member of Parliament (MP) and Thomas Docherty MP from Westminster, UK, Alex Downie OBE Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), Isle of Man, and Leon Gallienne, Deputy from Guernsey.
The role of the Joint Observer Mission will be to observe the BVI elections and to write a report on its findings.
In the statement, the Governor said “Elections are an important part of the democratic process. They should be free and fair and should be seen to be so. I believe the arrangements which have been put in place for the forthcoming elections in the Virgin Islands are robust and consistent with both the Constitution and the Election Law, and that the elections will be free and fair.
The presence of election observers is one way to demonstrate this.
The UK invited observers to the general election in 2010. So too did the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2007. Having observers enables us to exchange good practice and help set high standards for democracy in the region.”
The election observers will be in the Territory for just under a week. Some will be visiting polling stations on Advance Polling Day on Friday, November 4. All observers will be visiting polling stations on Polling Day, Monday, November 7.
They will be submitting an initial and first impressions report to the Governor before the Mission departs BVI with a fuller report produced within one month.
Opposition leader first made disclosureLeader of the opposition Dr. D Orlando Smith announced at a tent meeting last evening, Monday October 31, 2011 at The Watch House, Fahie Hill that, “I heard for the first time today in our political history that observers are being invited to observe our election…which is very troubling.”
According to Dr. Smith, it is “indeed very troubling revelation.” The Virgin Islands’ (VI) general election is slated for November 7, with advance polling set for November 4.
He told supporters that over the years the Territory has been peaceful pre and post-election, and could not decipher why overseas observers were needed.
“I feel troubled that is even more troubling ladies and gentlemen. In the BVI during election process [it is a] time to be respectful of our colleagues, and after elections we continue to do our business in a peaceful way. It is even more troubling because of the kind of representation that is allowing these kinds of things to happen without a whimper,” Hon. Smith noted.
He also charged that the present Government is aware of what is going on.
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