For the first time Anguilla will have International Election Observers at its 2015 General Elections.  Both the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have given their support to this arrangement. The independent Election Observer Mission (EOM) to Anguilla is being arranged by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR) at the invitation of the Governor and with the agreement of both the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition.

Members of the observer team undertake a range of activities, including monitoring the media and election campaigns, reviewing the election law, the constitution and commitments the country is signed on to, in detail. They also examine the election machinery from polling clerks to the administrator as well as observe training. The team generally attempts to meet all the key stakeholders and party political activists. They attend party rallies, meet candidates, civil society organisations, academics, etc.. The observer team usually holds press conferences at the start and end of their visits, and at the end of the mission, the team prepares a report that is available to the public.

The six person team will start arriving in Anguilla from 12 April and will depart on 24 April. Prior to Election Day, the Mission will hold meetings with all relevant stakeholders. It will undertake all necessary research, and observe the election campaign including media coverage. On Election Day, Observers will observe the electoral process including counting and the tabulation of results.

The EOM will be led by the Hon. Mario Galea MP, a Member of Parliament in Malta since 1992 who has served several times on EOMs and was Head of Mission for the Cayman Islands and later Montserrat Election Mission. The Mission will be supported by two Election Analysts and an Election Coordinator, all of whom will also act as observers and contribute to the production of the Mission’s reports.

Mr Galea will have overall control and responsibility for the EOM. He will act as official spokesperson for the Mission and lead observer; have overall responsibility for the Preliminary and Final Report and its dissemination; and, act as senior liaison for all senior stakeholders involved in the EOM.

In addition to Mr Galea, the Mission Observers will be from the Caribbean and Americas Region, including the Hon. Sharlene L. Cartwright Robinson MP from the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Ms Shivonne White from Montserrat who was the Registering Officer for their election last year. The observers in the EOM will be responsible for observing the pre-election day activity, polling day and election count procedures in their assigned areas.

The Election Analysts (EA) Andrew Bruce and Mark Stevens will be the EOM’s election experts and advisors. They will be responsible for monitoring all election activities under the EOM’s remit; acting as election, legal, political, media and statistical analysts; observing the tabulation of the Election result and providing on-call advice to Observers on the ground.

The Election Coordinator, Matthew Salik (CPA UK) has established and planned the initial stages of the Mission, its membership and deployment, and will manage the Mission’s day-to-day operations, financial management, logistics, and communications.

The Head of Mission will hold an early press conference on arrival, and will also publish a statement outlining the remit and purpose of the Mission. Within two days after Election Day, a preliminary statement will be produced and disseminated via a further press conference. The preliminary report will highlight initial key findings and conclusions and serve as a starting point for the final report. The final EOM report will be produced within two months of the preliminary report.

The final report will provide an overall assessment of the entire electoral process, set out the Mission’s conclusions and offer recommendations for future elections.  All reports will be available via the Government of Anguilla website as well as the CPA UK website.

The Mission will observe the following aspects of the Election:

Political campaign:

• Freedom; freedom of information, expression, speech, movement and association
• Campaign activities
• Wider political context
• Resources
• Time
• Media involvement and monitoring
• Finance

Electoral framework/administration:

• Election Law
• Other legislation
• Implementation
• Complaints and appeals process
• Administrative structure
• Other stakeholders involvement
• Resources

Voter and Candidate registration:

• Criteria
• Systems and procedures
• Accuracy
• Inclusivity
• Equality

Voter education:

• Access and availability

Polling:

• The ballot – design and security

The count:

• Processes and Procedures
• Tabulation
• Post-election complaints and appeals