July 20, 2021
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will be sending an observation mission along with the Organisation of American States (OAS) to monitor the general election in St Lucia, which will be held on July 26.
The 10-member mission will be headed by Fern Narcis-Scope, chief elections officer of Trinidad and Tobago.
In a statement on Saturday, CARICOM said the election observation mission proposes to meet with electoral officials, leaders of political parties and other stakeholders in St Lucia.
The mission will also monitor the election campaign environment and the voting process, including the opening of the poll, the casting of votes, the closing of the poll and the counting of ballots.
The members of the observation mission will arrive in St Lucia between July 20 and 22, and will depart on July 28 and 29.
At least 43 candidates have been registered to contest the general election that will be a contest mainly between the two dominant political parties for control of the 17-member Parliament.
The two main parties are led by prime minister Allen Chastenet, leader of the United Workers Party and member of parliament for Micoud South going up against opposition leader, Philip J. Pierre of the St Lucia Labour Party the member of parliament for East Castries.
Additionally, the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organisation of American States (OAS) began its deployment to observe the General Elections in Saint Lucia scheduled for July 26.
The Mission is headed by the Secretary for Access to Rights and Equity of the OAS, Maricarmen Plata. A Panamanian national, Secretary Plata has extensive experience in developing initiatives focused on the analysis and promotion of international public law and human rights.
The Mission is comprised of 11 experts and observers from 9 different countries and will focus its work on the examination of issues related to electoral organization and technology, electoral registries, political finance, and the political participation of women, among others.
In Saint Lucia, the Mission will meet with government officials, electoral authorities, political leaders, candidates, representatives of civil society and other relevant actors, which will allow for a comprehensive analysis of the process.
This is the third time the OAS will deploy an Electoral Observation Mission in Saint Lucia. After the elections, the Mission will present a preliminary report with its observations and recommendations which aims at contributing to the continued strengthening of the electoral process in the country.