Former Tongan foreign minister leads Commonwealth group to observe election

The Commonwealth said on Wednesday it will send an observer group to monitor Guyana’s General and Regional Elections scheduled for September 1.

The 11-member team, led by former Tongan foreign minister Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, will assess whether the polls are conducted in line with national laws, the Commonwealth Charter, and international commitments.

“The Commonwealth Observer Group is mandated to operate with impartiality and independence,” Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said in London. She added the team is empowered to make recommendations to strengthen future elections.

The mission will be in Guyana from August 25 to September 7, supported by a six-member staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat headed by Linford Andrews, Adviser and Head of the Electoral Support Section.

At the end of its mission, the group will submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the secretary-general, who will share it with the Guyanese government, the elections commission, political parties and Commonwealth member states.

The observer group includes members from Bangladesh, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Nigeria, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and the United Kingdom.