Your Vote, Your Future
Clint Chan Tack
A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) will be in Trinidad and Tobago from April 22-30 to observe and make its findings on the conduct of the April 28 general election.
In a statement on April 17 in London, Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said the COG’s deployment to TT is in keeping with the Commonwealth’s “commitment to supporting democracy and good governance in our member states.”
The team will be led by former Maltese foreign affairs minister Evarist Bartolo who has over 30 years of parliamentary experience.
Other members of the team have expertise in media, law, electoral management and civil society.
The COG will observe all aspects of the elections, offering recommendations to ensure the highest standards of electoral credibility, inclusivity and transparency as they assess the pre-election environment, the voting process, and the post-election period.
The team arrives in TT on April 22.
They will meet key stakeholders, including the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), political parties, civil society groups, media, the diplomatic community and other regional and citizen observers.
From 26 April, the COG will deploy in small teams to different parts of TT to observe election preparations and meet with local stakeholders in their respective locations.
On April 28, the team will observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and the results management processes.
The COG will then issue an interim statement on its preliminary findings on the election on April 30.
Bartolo was pleased to be leading the COG to observe the election.
“Our team will provide an independent assessment, promoting trust and confidence in the democratic process in line with the country’s laws, regional and international standards, as well as Commonwealth values. We’ll examine not just election day but also the pre- and post-election periods to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of the entire electoral process.”
He said the COG will provide “an independent assessment, promoting trust and confidence in the democratic process in line with the country’s laws, regional and international standards, as well as Commonwealth values.”
The COG will be supported by a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Lindiwe Maleleka, political adviser (electoral support section).
In a statement on April 12, the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry said it received letters from Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett and then Commonwealth secretary-general Baroness Patricia Scotland confirming the presence of observers from both organisations for the election.
Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley wrote to Caricom on December 10, 2024, to request the presence of a Caricom electoral observer mission for the election.
Barnett replied on January 13, confirming it was prepared to undertake the necessary administrative arrangements for the Caricom observer mission.
Rowley resigned as prime minister on March 16 and Energy Minister Stuart Young officially succeeded him one day later.
On March 18, Young advised President Christine Kangaloo to dissolve the Parliament and announced April 28 as election day.
On March 19, Young wrote to Scotland to request the presence of a Commonwealth electoral observer mission.
Scotland replied on March 25, that arrangements would be made to deploy a mission.
Young wrote to the Carter Centre on March 25, to invite the group to send an observer mission.
The centre subsequently indicated it was unable to send one.
Young confirmed all of these details at a news conference at Whitehall last month.
He noted previous letters from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to Rowley and himself for observers.
Young said the sequence of correspondence to Caricom, the Commonwealth and Carter Centre dispels any claims from the UNC that the election would not be free and fair.
In a statement on April 16, the EBC dismissed claims from the UNC about irregularities in the process for special voters in San Fernando East.
The commission said the situation arose from an “oversight” by the returning officer, who “neglected to immediately affix a seal to the empty ballot box while witnesses for candidates were present.”
EBC said the oversight was “quickly identified” and the returning officer contacted representatives from the various political parties, who were present earlier in the day.
“However, despite numerous follow-up calls, the representative for the UNC did not come back to complete the procedure. As a result, the empty ballot box was sealed in the presence of a returning witness, two electors, the returning officer, and the election clerk. All necessary seals were signed and affixed to the ballot box according to the required process.”
Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group
Evarist Bartolo: Former Malta foreign affairs minister (chairman).
Nazima Raghubir: Journalist, Guyana
Orrette Tyndale Fisher: Election management expert, Jamaica.
Aiman Rasheed: Deputy program director, International Republican Institute, Maldives
Winnie Anna Kiap: Commonwealth Foundation chair, Papua New Guinea
Kryticous Patrick Nshindano: Public Policy and Electoral Management Expert, Zambia
