BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federation’s Supervisor of Elections, Elvin Bailey, has been selected as a member of the Commonwealth contingent that will be observing The Bahamas election.
A Commonwealth Secretariat statement indicated that the Commonwealth election observers would travel to The Bahamas for the first time on May 1, 2017.
The four-member contingent would be led by former Foreign Minister from Ghana, Hanna Tetteh. The other members are : Chairman of the National Communications Network, Guyana, Enrico Woolford; Elvin Bailey, Supervisor of Elections, St Kitts and Nevis; and Gender specialist in Antigua and Barbuda, Lebrechtta Hesse-Bayne.
According to the statement, this is the first time that the Commonwealth would observe elections to The Bahaman Parliament.
Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General announced the group of observers after receiving an invitation from the Government of The Bahamas.
“I’m delighted that former Foreign Minister Hanna Tetteh has accepted my invitation to lead the Commonwealth Observer Group. Her experience will be a real asset in this important assignment,” said Secretary-General Scotland. “In offering their assessment on the conduct of the election and the overall credibility of the process, the Group will be contributing to enhancing democracy in The Bahamas.”
Further, it was disclosed that the observers would consider all aspects of the electoral process and assess whether it has been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has committed itself.
The Group will be in The Bahamas between May 4 and 13, 2017. The last general election of that country was held in May 2012.
