Supervisor of Elections, Dame Lorna Simon, has announced that she will be leaving the post shortly.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Dame Lorna said the 18th January marked her last general election.
Following Barbuda Council elections this March, she will vacate the position.
“I was happy to lend my knowledge, my expertise to the country by serving in this post since 2004, my first general election.
“It has been rewarding and a privilege to serve with the staff at ABEC, they had my back and I had theirs. They are a group of people with whom I would work again if I had the opportunity,” she said.
Dame Lorna said she is happy to “give up the reins” as the time has come for her to take her leave gracefully.
Over her long career, she said she was most proud of initiating Antigua and Barbuda’s move to identify the gender of voters. She was inspired to do so when she witnessed the system at work in Papua New Guinea where she performed duties as an election observer.
Under her watch, ABEC implemented this initiative in 2018 and introduced a system that would allow the organisation to track participation in elections in Antigua and Barbuda based on age.
Dame Lorna admitted, however, that the 2009 general election was one of the most challenging as many issues, including the breakdown of one of ABEC’s printers caused several polling stations to open late.
Supervisor of Elections, Dame Lorna Simon, has recommended that her deputy, Ian Hughes, succeed her when she retires.
