Spokesperson and Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group today called for peace, inclusiveness and transparency in Vanuatu’s election on 22 January.
Spokesperson and Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group today called for peace, inclusiveness and transparency in Vanuatu’s election on 22 January.
Hubert Ingraham, a former Prime Minister of The Bahamas, was speaking at a press conference where he delivered a statement on behalf of the Group.
He said: “This is a significant election for the people of Vanuatu in view of recent developments and the constant political challenges in the country. The Commonwealth attaches the highest importance to the conduct of credible and peaceful elections as a means of giving the citizens an opportunity to choose their leaders and to hold them accountable.”
The election was called nine months ahead of schedule after 14 MPs were jailed for bribery. It follows a period of sustained political instability with four changes of prime ministers in the last four years.
Mr Ingraham urged the people of Vanuatu and in particular women and young people, to participate in the election.
There are no female MPs in the current administration and only a handful of the 265 candidates running in Friday’s election are women.
Outlining the groups’ mandate, Mr Ingraham said observers will “consider the factors that could impinge on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole. This includes observing the pre-election environment, polling day, and the post-election period.”
The Commonwealth Observer Group includes Australian MP Jane Prentice, Guyanese editor Enrico Woolford, Fijian electoral expert Walter Rigamoto and gender expert Jessica Nkuuhe from Uganda.
Observers will be deployed to Santo, Tanna, Efate and Port Vila. Currently, they are meeting with Vanuatu’s Election Commission, political parties, civil society groups, High Commissions and other international observers.
“What is very clear from the people we have been speaking to, is that there is a keen awareness of the political challenges and a strong desire to address them in a positive and constructive way,” Mr Ingraham told journalists.
He added: “This is a country that has overcome many challenges since its independence. The people of Vanuatu should be congratulated for respecting the rule of law in the difficult circumstances that led these to early elections.”
In his statement he reassured the Vanuatu population of the Observers’ support: “The Commonwealth Observer Group stands in solidarity with the people of Vanuatu as they prepare to exercise their right to vote.”
Notes to editors:
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states home to 2.2 billion citizens. Commonwealth election observers are selected by the Commonwealth Secretary-General and are supported by a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat. Commonwealth observers take an independent, impartial and public view on the integrity of an electoral process. Since 1980, the Commonwealth has observed more than 130 elections in 36 countries.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma sent a team of independent observers to Vanuatu on 13 January, at the invitation of the Government of Vanuatu. The five-person Commonwealth Observer Group is led by former Prime Minister of The Bahamas Hubert Ingraham.
Download the group's Arrival Statement, photos and multimedia
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