BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Christian Council (CC) and Evangelical Association (EA) will be observers at the January 25 general election, joining teams sent by CARICOM, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Chairman of the National NGO Coalition, Bishop Ron Dublin-Collins, revealed exclusively to SKNVibes that the grouping was invited by the Electoral Commission to form a monitoring team. Although the coalition also includes the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC), representatives of that organisation declined the invitation.
“The coalition first received the request when we met with the Electoral Commission last week. We made the decision on Monday, but the Chamber opted out because it felt that the church groups should lead the way on this initiative, as we’re not construed as having any agenda,” Dublin-Collins explained.
He noted the concept of local observers was a recommendation of the 2005 Commonwealth Observer Mission Report, the document that initiated the government’s recent venture into electoral reform.
Dublin-Collins stressed that the two groups would execute their observer jobs in a “competent” and “objective” manner, and have already begun the requisite preparation.
The CIC, EA and CC joined forces last summer to produce a revised version of the Code of Conduct for the political process. Despite initial hesitation by political parties, each one with the exception of the Nevis Reformation Party has signed the code to date.
In the build-up to Monday’s election, the effectiveness of observer missions has been widely discussed in the media. The Commonwealth announced over the weekend that it was sending a three-person team, while the OAS promised an eleven-man mission.
CARICOM has yet to release details on the composition of its delegation.
OAS and CARICOM observers were present for neighbouring Dominica’s December 2009 election, which saw the ruling Dominica Labour Party retain its overall majority. However, when high-ranking officials from the country’s opposition were in St. Kitts last month, they expressed dissatisfaction with the missions and said that more substantial monitoring and supervision were needed.
Nonetheless, the incumbent St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) has been nothing but complimentary about the upcoming presence of observer teams. SKNLP Chairman Dr. Timothy Harris highlighted his confidence in these missions at a party press conference last week.
“Observer teams independently move around the country, attend public meetings, interact with the people and get a sense of understanding of the campaigns. They are experts with knowledge of the political system and electoral process.
“I see them as an addition to the overall fairness and transparency of the election,” Harris said.
Eleven seats will be contested during next week’s general election, which will be the seventh of its kind in the Federation’s post-Independence history. The SKNLP has formed the government three consecutive times since 1995, following the 15-year rule of the People’s Action Movement.
