Antigua and Barbuda’s Supervisor of Elections, Ian S Hughes, will lead a Caribbean Community (Caricom) Observer mission to the April 28 general elections in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) has confirmed that Hughes has been named the Caricom’s Chief of Mission, who will provide leadership and guidance to the Caricom Election Observer Mission within the context of the Terms of Reference for the mission.
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The Caricom delegation will observe the final preparations before the elections, hold discussions with the various stakeholders on the progress towards the process, and on the day of elections, observe the electoral process and collect qualitative observations regarding preparations, comportment of the electoral officials and political actors and the overall political environment.
In the post-election phase, he will lead the Caricom team in observing and assessing the outcome of the elections and the initial immediate impact on the social and political environment.
At the end of the mission, Hughes will issue an official statement on behalf of Caricom on the process as well as prepare and submit the report of the Caricom Observation Mission to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago National and Parliamentary Elections.
This is not the first time that Hughes has served as part of a Caricom Observer Mission. He was appointed as the Caricom’s Chief of Mission to the 2021 elections in the Bahamas and also served as a member of the Observer team during the parliamentary elections in Turks and Caicos in 2021, Belize and Suriname in 2020, and Haiti in 2015.
The Commonwealth and the US-based Carter Center are also expected to send observer teams to the polls in Trinidad and Tobago, where 161 candidates representing 17 political parties are vying for control of the 41-member Parliament.
But observers say the elections will be a contest between the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) and a coalition led by the main opposition United National Congress (UNC). (CMC)
