Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Home
  2. What's New
  3. Who We Are
  4. What We Do
    1. Democracy
    2. Economics
    3. Education
    4. Gender
    5. Governance
    6. Health
    7. Human Rights
    8. Law
    9. Small States
    10. Sport
    11. Sustainability
    12. Youth
    13. Millennium Development Goals
    14. Funding
  5. News
    1. Events
    2. News Archive Search
    3. Picture Stories
  6. Media Room
    1. Press Archive Search
    2. Media Contacts
    3. Video
    4. Events
    5. In the Media
    6. Updates
    7. Downloads
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us
Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Lord Steel to lead Commonwealth Observers to South African Elections

4 May 1999

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, today announced that the former Leader of the British Liberal Party, David Steel, now Lord Steel of Aikwood, will chair the Commonwealth Observer Group to the National and Provincial Elections in South Africa, due to be held on 2 June 1999.

The Secretary-General said that the Commonwealth was responding to an invitation from the South African Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to observe the forthcoming elections. Lord Steel will lead a 14-member group of Commonwealth Observers, comprising senior politicians and electoral experts from outside South Africa, and Commonwealth diplomats.

Other members of the group include:

Ms Annette Georges (Seychelles)
Member of the National Assembly

Mr W J Gray (Australia)
Electoral Commissioner

Mr Kiraitu Murungi (Kenya)
Member of Parliament

Ms Jessica Odle (Barbados)
Senator

Mr N N Vohra (India)
Director, India International Centre

Mr Danville Walker (Jamaica)
Director of Elections

The Commonwealth observers will be supported by seven officials from the Commonwealth Secretariat in London led by Mr Jon Sheppard, Director, Political Affairs Division.

In making this announcement Chief Anyaoku expressed his pleasure that Lord Steel had accepted his invitation to lead the Commonwealth group. He said: "These are very important elections for South Africa, and I am confident that Lord Steel's wealth of political experience will be of enormous value to the Group in its work."

Note to Editors:
This will be the 28th Observer Group constituted by the Secretary-General since October 1990. It will be the second time that the Commonwealth will have observed elections in South Africa, the first being the transitional elections in 1994.

Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
United Kingdom.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678


99/27 4 May 1999

Share this page
About this

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int