Commonwealth team for Antigua elections

A three member team of observers from the Commonwealth Secretariat is expected to monitor the March 12 General Election in Antigua and Barbuda.



The national poll is also to be monitored by a team of experts from the Organisation of American States (OAS), led by former Barbados Foreign Minister, Dame Billie Miller.



Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma said the mandate of the team will be to observe the preparations for the election, the polling, the counting and results process, and the overall electoral environment.



In addition, he said the team will also be required to assess the overall conduct of the process and make recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral process in Antigua and Barbuda.



The Commonwealth observer team will remain in the country until March 16, after which it will submit a report to the Secretary General.



The report will then be sent to the government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Elections Commission and Commonwealth governments.