Kenya’s former Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage and Culture and former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Amina Mohammed has been appointed to lead a Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) that will be deployed to observe Dominica’s general elections scheduled for December 6, 2022.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC constituted the five-member group of observers which will be led by Ms Mohammed.
“The Commonwealth has a long and proud history of standing in solidarity with citizens as they prepare to choose their leaders. Under the chairmanship of Hon. Amina Mohammed, I firmly believe that the observer group will provide an informed, comprehensive, and impartial assessment of the electoral process,” Ms Patricia said.
The observer group will arrive in Roseau on November 30, 2022, and stay until the completion of the electoral process. During their stay, which will see them deployed throughout the country, they will be supported by a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Ms Chantal Sciberras, Adviser and Head of Europe in the Governance and Peace Directorate.
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The COG will observe all aspects of the election process – from the opening of polling stations and the voting process to the counting of ballots and announcement of results – and determine whether the elections are conducted in line with international standards as well as the domestic democratic ideals to which Dominica has committed itself. They will also meet and hold briefings with stakeholders, including election management officials, representatives of political parties, civil society groups, the media, and other key stakeholders.
As per the COG’s mandate, observers will act impartially and will adhere to the standards of the Commonwealth Guidelines for the Observation of Elections as well as the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.
The Observer group will issue an interim statement two days after election day outlining its initial findings. A final report, which will include the assessment of the electoral process and a set of recommendations for reforms to improve future elections, will be presented to the Government of Dominica, the Electoral Office, and other stakeholders, before being made public.
The group will depart Dominica by December 11, 2022.
Other members of the Commonwealth Observer Group members include Liberata Mulamula Former Minister of Foreign Affairs United Republic of Tanzania, Prof. Praja Trivedi Commonwealth Envoy India, Mr Ian Hughes Assistant Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Commission Antigua and Barbuda and Mrs Wyvolyn Patterson, a journalist from Jamaica.
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