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by pltm
(PLTM) - The members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR) Elections Observation Mission (EOM) will today, February 19, be meeting with the political parties contesting the February 25 General Election.
This was disclosed earlier today when the Observers met with members of the media to provide a briefing on their mission.
Felicity Herrmann, the Elections Coordinator disclosed, “So far we have met with the Governor, the Deputy Governor, the Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s Office, the Elections Supervisor and her team, we’ve met with the Police Commissioner and the police responsible for operations on elections day.”
Today, she said that they will be meeting with political parties and other stakeholders.
Head of the mission, Hon. Pam Webster MNA of Anguilla explained that this will be the third such mission in the BVI, and, “As with previous missions, the purpose of the elections observation mission is to examine how the election is run and to make recommendations to ensure that the election is in line with international standards.”
Their aim, she explained, is to observe the elements of the electoral process, including political campaigning, campaign financing, electoral administration, voter registration and accessibility, polling, including advance polling, counting and tabulation.
The six observers, who were invited by Governor Augustus Jaspert, Premier, Hon. Dr. D. Orlando Smith and the former Opposition Leader, Hon. Ronnie Skelton, will also be looking at post elections complaints and appeals.
So far, four of them have arrived while two are expected to land in the Territory soon.
Monitoring
Despite the fact that they only arrived several days ago, the team has been observing the BVI in the months leading up to the election.
Ms. Herrmann related, “We have been monitoring the media and the campaigning that has been going on online as well as the print media. We do plan to attend political rallies as well.”
“We have been watching the proceedings from as far back as January,” she added.
Matthew Salik, one of the Elections Analyst lent his voice to the conversation, saying, “We are always looking, we are always watching, we are always monitoring progress.”
He disclosed that he began paying attention to the Territory as early as last November.
According to Mr. Salik, “We look at the campaign, we look at it from beginning to end. We look at elements of the campaign, we look at the rallies, we look at campaign posters, we look at radio interviews and discussions, we look at campaign finance, we look at a range of different topics and we will have a view on the general feel.”
It was noted that as they conduct their mission, the Observers will be open to receiving anonymous comments from all stakeholders.
“One of the things we will be looking at is comparing how this election is being run as compared to the previous election, and the reports that we have been producing and what recommendations are being implemented, and how they’ve been implemented,” he shared.
However, he noted that they will not be intervening in any election process, even if they notice worrying conduct.
“It is important to emphasise that we are observers and one of the principles of observing an election is not to involve ourselves in the process and we are not here to police the election either. We are simply here as independent, impartial observers,” he stressed.
For voters, he said, “If they see something wrong, or they see something they feel isn’t correct…report it to the correct authorities. We are not involved in that process because it would affect the impartiality of the process.”
In terms of official complaints, he noted, “they have to be undertaken through the appropriate processes. We are very keen to listen to as many people as possible and to take on their view. It helps to build a better picture of the elections.”
Polling Day
Ms. Herrmann explained that on elections day, the team will be visiting as many Polling Stations as possible to examine the opening, closing and tabulation process.
She also shared, “We will meet with stakeholders, including candidates, government officials, party leaders, civil society groups and more ahead of polling day, with the intention of getting diverse views on the election and processes.”
Special attention will be paid of the new processes on elections day.
“We will do our best to visit as many [Polling Stations] as possible given the time and manpower we have available. We may visit the same Polling Station multiple times during the day to see it at different stages,” she explained.
The Recommendations And Report
Their observations will be compiled, with recommendations, and used to produce a report which is expected to be released two months after elections.
They noted that a preliminary statement will be made days after the election.
Mr. Salik, who was part of the 2015 delegation of Observers, shared that some of the recommendations from the 2015 elections have been acted on.
“A number of recommendations that we have made have been taken forward…regarding the process on polling day to speed up the process. We have also seen the production of a Code of Conduct, which was one of our recommendations in 2015 which has been legislated for and rolled out,” he stated.
However, he stressed, “We can make a recommendation, but how you choose to implement that recommendation we put forward is up to you.”
