The follow is a preliminary statement of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the General Elections of July 26, 2021, in Saint Lucia
WASHINGTON, USA – The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS/EOM) present in Saint Lucia for the General Elections of July 26, congratulates citizens on their strong civic commitment, which was amply displayed during the advanced poll on July 23 and on election day, July 26.
The Mission, which was led by the secretary for Access to Rights and Equity of the OAS General Secretariat, Maricarmen Plata, comprised twelve experts from ten countries – all of whom were present in the country.
On Friday, July 23, members of the Mission observed the conduct of the advanced poll for members of the police force, the correctional facility, fire service officers, election officials and poll workers, patients at three hospitals and persons at two care facilities. On election day the team was present in all 17 of the country’s constituencies and observed the conduct of the poll from the opening of polling stations, through to the counting of ballots and the transmission of results. The Mission also engaged in a substantive analysis of critical aspects of the electoral process, including electoral organization and technology, electoral registries, political financing and the political participation of women.
In light of the continuing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission employed strict precautionary measures, including the use of Personal Protective Equipment and social distancing, for all stakeholder engagements and during its observation work. In compliance with the sanitary regulations in-force in Saint Lucia, members of the team were all fully vaccinated and presented proof of this status, as well as negative COVID-19 PCR tests on arrival in the country.
During its deployment the Mission engaged with key stakeholders, including electoral and government authorities, political parties and candidates, civil society actors, the international community and other electoral observer missions, to learn about the preparations for the process and to hear different perspectives on the elections. The Mission’s experts also analysed relevant electoral legislation, regulations, processes and procedures to ensure a full understanding of the current context.
The full preliminary statement is available here.
