The former president of the Seychelles, Danny Faure, will head the Commonwealth observer team who will be in Antigua and Barbuda for the country’s 18th January, 2023 general elections.
The invitation welcoming the international observers, who will report on the execution and outcome of the general elections, was extended by the government of Antigua and Barbuda.
Faure will be joined by four other prominent Commonwealth figures who will be supported by staff from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Prof Luis Franceschi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
The additional members of the team are Gideon Moi, Politician and former Senator, Kenya; Clare Keizer, Journalist and Editor-in-Chief at Searchlight, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Baroness Denise Kingsmill CBE, Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom and Patrick Kryticous Nshindano, Public Policy and Election Expert and former Chief Election Officer, Zambia.
The composition of the elections observer team was announced on Thursday by Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, KC.
In a statement, the Secretary-General said: “I thank Danny Faure for accepting my invitation to lead this group and each of the Commonwealth observers for agreeing to undertake this important assignment.
“The group, which is independent and impartial, will assess the overall conduct of the election and, at the end, make recommendations which will contribute towards strengthening the electoral process in Antigua and Barbuda.”
While in Antigua and Barbuda for the elections, the observer team will monitor preparations for the election, the polling process, the vote counting and tabulation procedures and the overall electoral environment.
They will also identify in their final report any issues that exist which might undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
The observer group will arrive in Saint John’s on 14th January 2023.
