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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth sends Observer Group to the General Elections in Antigua and Barbuda

3 March 1999

In response to a request from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and indications of broad support for a Commonwealth presence at the elections, Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku will send a Commonwealth Observer Group to the forthcoming General Elections scheduled to take place on 9 March 1999.

The Commonwealth Observer Group will comprise the following distinguished persons:

Mr Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman (Bangladesh, Chair), Former Chief Justice and Chief Adviser in the 1996 Caretaker Government
Ms Nana Mnandi (South Africa), Member, National Executive Committee, African National (ANC) Congress Women's League
Mr Gary Ouellet (Canada), Electoral Expert
The Observers have been chosen for this assignment in their individual capacities, and their views will not represent the views of any government or of the Commonwealth Secretary-General. The Observer Group will be supported by a team of three officers from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Mr Stuart Mole, OBE, Director, Secretary-General's Office.


At the conclusion of its assignment, the Group will submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General for transmission to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the political parties which contested the elections.


Note to Editors:
The mission to Antigua and Barbuda will represent the 27th observer group organised by the Commonwealth since the October 1989 meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at which it was agreed that member states could benefit from an election observer facility, as a means of strengthening democratic processes and institutions. Other elections observed in recent years have included: Cameroon, May 1997; Papua New Guinea, June 1997; Guyana, December 1997; Seychelles, March 1998; Lesotho, May 1998; and Nigeria, February 1999.

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


99/15 3 March, 1999

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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