(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) The six-member CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission mounted at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Suriname to monitor the conduct of that country's General Elections on 25 May is now on the ground in Suriname.
The Mission will be charged with monitoring the preparations for the Elections, the campaign and media coverage, the conduct of the Poll and the counting of the ballots. To this end, the team will be deployed in five Electoral Districts, namely Paramaribo, Wanica, Saramaca, Commewijne and Para, which represent 66 percent of the 51 seats in the National Assembly.
As part of its preliminary work, the CARICOM Electoral Observer group met with President of the Suriname, His Excellency Drs Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan, and held consultations with a number of stakeholders. These include representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Policy Commission, the Central Elections Office, the Independent Elections Office/Bureau and the Commissioner of Police. In addition, the Electoral Mission held extensive discussions with political parties and representatives of civil society, including youth groups and the business community.
In a statement, the CARICOM Observer Group said that through its exchanges with the Electoral Officials, the Police, representatives of political parties, civil society and the business community, the Mission gained much insight into the preparations for the conduct of the Elections, particularly in relation to the Voters' Lists and the distribution of polling cards. The CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission felt that such consultations, coupled with the opportunity to witness the electoral process first-hand, would serve to influence an objective assessment of the outcome of the Elections and a Preliminary Statement based on the team's observations and findings.
Former Chief Elections Officer of Dominica, Mr. Clem John, is leading the Core Group of the CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission. Other members include representative of the CARICOM Secretariat and Coordinator of the Mission, Mr. Eugene G. Petty who formerly supervised Elections in St Kitts and Nevis and Mission member and Administrative Officer to the Mission, Ms Mignon Bowen, Project Officer of the CARICOM Secretariat.
The Observer Group comprises Chief Elections Officer, Elections and Boundaries Department of Belize, Ms Myrtle Palacio; Speaker of the House of Representatives of Grenada, Hon. Lawrence Joseph and Regional Elections Supervisor of Jamaica, Mr. Neville Parkins.
The team expressed gratitude to the various stakeholders including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, for supporting its efforts in the run up to the elections. They are expected to compile and submit a report to CARICOM Secretary-General, His Excellency Edwin Carrington.
The group will depart Suriname on 28 May 2005.
