CARICOM Election Observation Mission on the ground for today’s Turks and Caicos Islands Elections

A CARICOM’s Election Observation Mission is monitoring today’s General Elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The three member team is spending today observing the electoral process, including the preparations for the start of the poll, the opening of the polling stations, the casting of votes, the closure of the polling stations, the counting of the ballots and the preparation of the Statement of Poll.  They will collect information on the results at the voting tables to assist in the quantitative verification of the results; collect qualitative observations regarding the voting process, comportment of the electoral officials and political actors, and on the overall electoral environment; and observe and assess the outcome of the elections and the initial immediate impact on the social and political environment.

Following today’s activities the Mission will send a Preliminary Report to Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque. The  report will be shared with the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Leader of the Opposition and the Elections Department.

Today’s Elections are a straight fight between the incumbent Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) of Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and the opposition  Progressive National Party (PNP) being led by former Chief Minister Mr. Washington Misick.

In the last Elections in December 2016, the PDM won six of the ten constituencies and four of the five At-Large seats, while the PNP won four constituencies and one At-Large seat.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are an Associate Member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

In photo: Head of Mission Dr Robert Surujbally (2nd right) is joined by Mr Ian Hughes (right), Mr Felix Gregoire (2nd left) and Ms Valique Gomes (CARICOM Secretariat support) for the start of Elections Day monitoring

Source: CARICOM TODAY