The Chief of the Electoral Observation Mission from the Organization of American States and the Chief of the Parliamentary Elections Office sign agreement
The Chief of the Electoral Observation Mission from the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Joshua Sears from the Bahamas, and the Supervisor of Elections from Grenada’s Parliamentary Elections Office, Ms. Judy Benoit, signed an agreement that establishes the terms and conditions for the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) that will observe the upcoming General Elections on February 19th 2013.
A statement from the OAS said that observer team composed of 16 international observers from eleven countries — Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Barbados, Canada, Colombia, Guyana, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and Venezuela. The group arrived in Grenada on February 11th and will stay until February 21st. These observers will be present in the country’s fifteen constituencies.
In the days following the election, the OAS/EOM will present its findings during a local press conference and will subsequently present a report to the OAS Permanent Council in Washington, D.C. In order to keep the dialogue open with Grenadian authorities, the chief of the mission will also present the final report of the findings and follow up on the recommendations produced with a view to promoting improvements to the electoral system.
Electoral Observation Missions are widely recognized as key political cooperation tools to help strengthen the hemisphere electoral processes and democratic governance. Through these missions, the OAS observes the electoral cycle working with governmental authorities and citizens, in general, to ensure impartiality, transparency, and equity between the participants in the electoral process.
Between 1984 and 2013, the OAS has observed 39 elections in 13 countries in the Caribbean, including Grenada where, currently, the OAS is deploying the fourth EOM requested by the government.