Mario Galea
Adapted: CMC – A four-member delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is due here on September 3 to monitor the general election in the British Overseas Territory.
The poll is due to be held on September 11 and is likely to be contested between the ruling Movement for Change and Prosperity (MCAP) headed by Premier Reuben T. Meade, and the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) headed by Opposition Leader Donaldson Romeo, along with 13 independent candidates. Among the independents there is an alliance of three persons which includes former Chief Minister from 2006-09, Dr. Lowell Lewis.
Governor Adrian Davis confirmed that the four-member team will be headed by Mario Galea from Malta and will independently assess and monitor the electoral process in this volcano ravaged island.
In addition to monitoring the polls, the team will also meet with the various stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission.
The Governor said the visit of the Observer team was as a result of a recommendation made by the CPA and accepted by both Meade and Romeo.
Nomination Day is August 25 and chairman of the Electoral Commission, Sir Howard Fergus, will serve as supervisor of the elections, with Claudette Weekes as returning officer.
In the 2009 general election, the MCAP won six of the nine seats with independent candidates including the former premier Lowell Lewis, winning the other three seats.
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