CARICOM sends 12-member team to observe general election

Kingstown, St Vincent (CMC):

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) yesterday announced that it would be sending a 12-member team to observe the December 13 general election in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The team will be headed by Guyanese Gocool Boodhoo with St Lucia's Carson Raggie as his deputy.

The CARICOM statement said that Boodoo and Raggie and a CARICOM Secretariat staff member arrived in St Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday, while the remaining observers will arrive tomorrow.

The entire team will leave the island on December 15.

Last weekend, the Organisation of American States (OAS) said it had signed an agreement with the St Vincent and the Grenadines government for an Electoral Observation Mission to monitor the polls.

"We hope that political leaders in the country will demonstrate, as they have done in the past, a clear commitment to democracy and behave responsibly, so that we have a peaceful electoral process," OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin said.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves is seeking a third consecutive victory for his Unity Labour Party (ULP) at the polls. But the party faces a strong challenge from the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).

In the last general election, the ULP won 12 of the 15 seats.