Commonwealth to observe General Election in Lesotho
9 May 2002
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, announced today that he is sending a Commonwealth Observer Group to the General Election in Lesotho, which will take place on 25 May 2002. The Group will be led by the former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sir James Mitchell.The Commonwealth Observer Group will have eleven members and was established in response to an invitation from the Government of Lesotho, and with the support of the Independent Electoral Commission and political parties in Lesotho.
The Group consists of six eminent Commonwealth citizens, supported by five Commonwealth Secretariat staff. The Observers are:
· Sir James Mitchell Former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines
· Mrs Marie-Claude Arouff-Parfait Former Member of Parliament, Mauritius
· Dr David McGibbon Former Senator, Australia
· Professor Akinjide Osuntokun Former Diplomat; Currently Professor of International Relations, University of Lagos, Nigeria
· Mr Joram Rukambe Director of Elections, Namibia
· Mr Mike Terry OBE Former Executive Secretary, British Anti-Apartheid Movement, United Kingdom
The Staff Support Team will be led by Ms Dianne Stafford, Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Note to Editors:
Two Commonwealth 'Advance Observers' have been present in Lesotho since 8 May 2002. Commonwealth Observers were present for voter registration in August-September 2001 and the display of the provisional voters' list in December 2002. An Assessment Mission was present in Lesotho from 2-4 May 2002. The Main Group will start its work on Friday 17 May 2002. This will be the 39th Observer Group to have been constituted by the Secretary-General since October 1990 and the third time that the Commonwealth will have observed elections in Lesotho - Commonwealth Observer Groups were present for the 1993 and 1998 elections.
The Terms of Reference for this Observer Group are as follows:
"The Group is established by the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the request of the Government of Lesotho and the Independent Electoral Commission. It is to observe relevant aspects of the organisation and conduct of the General Election in accordance with the laws of Lesotho. It is to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole and to determine in its own judgment whether the conditions exist for a free expression of will by the electors and if the results of the elections reflect the wishes of the people of Lesotho.
The Group is to act impartially and independently. It has no executive role; its function is not to supervise but to observe the process as a whole and to form a judgment accordingly. It would also be free to propose to the authorities concerned such action on institutional, procedural and other matters as would assist the holding of such elections.
The Group is to submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will forward it to the Government of Lesotho, the Independent Electoral Commission, the parties taking part in the election and thereafter to all Commonwealth Governments."
Press Contact:
The Commonwealth Observer Group will be available from Friday 17 May at the Lesotho Sun Hotel on + 266 313 111.
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- Commonwealth ICT SummitBetty Mould Iddrisu, Director, Legal and Constitutional Affairs
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