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. CommonwealthTV
    4. Podcast: Pick of the Commonwealth
    5. Events
    6. In the Media
    7. Updates
    8. 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

First Commonwealth Election Observers arrive in Pakistan

9 September 2002

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon today announced the arrival in Pakistan of the first members of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the National and Provincial Assembly Elections. The Elections are scheduled to take place on 10 October 2002.

The Advance Group consists of three eminent Commonwealth citizens:

Mr Douglas Kidd
Former Speaker and Minister
New Zealand

Mr R I C Kuruppu
Consultant to the Department of Elections
Sri Lanka

Mr Mohamed Mokhtar Bin Ahmad
State Election Officer for Penang
Malaysia

and a member of staff from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Ms Kishwer Falkner, Acting Chief Programme Officer in the Political Affairs Division.

The Advance Group will be briefed by the Pakistan Election Commission and others in Islamabad and will then observe preparations for the elections. The Group will in turn brief the rest of the Observer Group when they arrive at the end of September. The full Group will consist of 22 eminent persons, supported by 10 Commonwealth Secretariat staff.

The Observer Group has been constituted in response to invitations from the Government and the Election Commission of Pakistan and with the support of political parties in that country.



Note to Editors:

This will be the 40th Observer Group to have been constituted by the Commonwealth Secretary-General since October 1990 and the third time that the Commonwealth will have observed National and Provincial Assembly Elections in Pakistan - Commonwealth Observer Groups were present for the elections in 1993 and 1997.
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 and Election Commission of Pakistan. It is to observe relevant aspects of the organisation and conduct of the National and Provincial Assembly Elections scheduled to take place on 10 October 2002, in accordance with the laws of Pakistan. It is to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole and to determine in its own judgement 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.

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 judgement 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 Pakistan, the Election Commission of Pakistan, the leadership of the political parties taking part in the elections and thereafter to all Commonwealth Governments."

For further information please contact the Communications and Public Affairs Division: Tel +44 (0)20 7747 6385/2
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