Mission observers: Nelson H. Cole Simons MP, Hon. Mario Galea, and Hannah Roberts – Election Annalyst & Observer. Absent: Matthew Salik
by Warren Cassell
For the first time on Montserrat, an International Observer Mission will observe the general elections The Electoral Observer Mission arrived on island on September 3, 2014 and will be here until September 14, 2014.
The Mission comprises the Hon. Mario Galea MP Malta who is the Head of the Mission, Nelson H. Cole Simons MP from Bermuda, Hannah Roberts – Election Annalyst & Observer and Matthew Salik Election Coordinator & Observer both from the United Kingdom.
The head of the Election Observer Mission Hon. Mario Galea outlined their mandate while on island during a press conference held on Friday September 5, 2014 and ensured the press that the mission will be guided by the United Nations Declaration on Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.
Even though the Mission was at the invitation of His Excellency of the Governor Adrian Davis, the Head of the Mission noted that. “We will observe the electoral process in accordance with international standards which serve as a guideline for the conduct of democratic election and also according to domestic law of Montserrat. The mission will gather information in a systemic way and then make informed assessment. As observers we will not interfere in the electoral process. We may raise questions with the electoral staff if we encounter any irregularities. We will bring it to the attention of the presiding officer but we will not interfere in any way with the process itself. Our mandate is to observe not to get involved in the electoral process so we do not have an executive say in the running of the election.”
Elections observation missions are today worldwide accepted as a source of accurate and impartial assessment of the electoral process. In addition, it is also an important aspect of human rights monitoring because elections are about human rights, political rights and civil rights. Such missions of contributes significantly to the strengthening of democratic institutions and add integrity to the process because they detect fraud. Elections Observation mission also enhances the public confidence in the electoral process and sows willingness of the people and the political stakeholders of Montserrat to have an external review of its electoral process.
The Mission will issue a preliminary Report within two days of the election, which will highlight key findings to date and make a preliminary assessment of the electoral process. A Final Report will be published within a further two months of the election. Such Report will provide an overall assessment of the electoral process and will include recommendations for future elections in Montserrat. The Mission wishes to inform the public that should any person desire to contact them they may do so by sending an email to montserrateom@gmail.com.
