Commonwealth to observe Maldives parliamentary elections

A Commonwealth Expert Team will observe the parliamentary elections due to take place on 9 May 2009 in Maldives, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced today (1 May).

The Secretary-General expressed the hope that the election would build on the country’s first multiparty presidential election held in October 2008, which was an important step in the country’s democratic development.

The Commonwealth Expert Team will arrive in Maldives on Sunday, 3 May 2009. The full composition of the Team is:

Fran Bailey MP (Chair)

Member of the Australian National Parliament

Hendrick Gappy

Electoral Commissioner of Seychelles

M Irfan Abdool-Rahman

Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius

Hanif Vally

Strategy Adviser of the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR), South Africa

The mandate of the Expert Team is to observe the preparations for the election; the polling, counting and results process; and the overall electoral environment. The Team is to assess the overall conduct of the process and, where appropriate, make recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral process in Maldives.

The Team’s report will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will then in turn send it to the Government of Maldives, the Maldives Elections Commission, and eventually to all Commonwealth governments.

The Expert Team will act impartially and independently and shall conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

Secretariat Links:

• Country Profile: Maldives
• Democracy