OBSERVERS from across the Commonwealth are taking part in a mission to assess this week’s general election in Guernsey, although no Jersey States Members were selected to take part.
A trio of politicians from Scotland and the Caribbean islands of St Lucia and Montserrat have been part of the eight-person Commonwealth Parliamentary Association mission for the Guernsey election, which takes place tomorrow.
Members of the group are expected to visit polling stations, and have also attended a range of pre-election events, speaking to candidates, outgoing politicians, voters and members of the media, including the JEP and sibling title Bailiwick Express.
A member of the delegation confirmed that any politicians who were part of the CPA and had undergone training for election observation had been able to apply to take part in the Guernsey mission. It is understood that two States Members from Jersey applied, but were not selected.
Martin Whitfield, a member of the Scottish Parliament who led the CPA mission to Jersey in 2022, said it was very unlikely that geographical factors would be considered by the CPA in assembling a team.
“They are looking for a balanced team of people with different levels of experience from different jurisdictions, rather than travelling times,” he said.
CPA Jersey branch chair Deputy Rob Ward, who led a mission to observe the election in the Cayman Islands earlier this year, said such work was important in assessing democratic elections against international standards.
“I couldn’t say why specific decisions about why certain applicants might be successful, but the CPA has always been very supportive of Jersey,” he said. “I have a lot of faith in the process they use and don’t think there’d be political reasons involved in the selection.
“It’s very important work to be involved in – it helps put Jersey on the map and is an important part of being a parliamentarian,” he added.
This week’s poll marks the second time Guernsey has run an election on an island-wide basis, and the first time election observers have attended in person, with travel restrictions preventing this happening on the previous occasion in October 2020.
Head of mission Alvina Reynolds, President of the Senate of Saint Lucia, said: “Election observation plays an important role in strengthening democracies around the world.
“I am delighted that our team of independent observers has been invited to Guernsey and we’ve had a packed schedule.”
Ahead of polling day tomorrow, many voters in Guernsey have already completed postal ballots or attended advance polling sessions on Sunday, with a second and final set of advance polling opportunities taking place today.
Election observation missions
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was formed in 1911 and carries out election observation missions across the world
- Politicians from Scotland, Kenya and the Isle of Man were part of a CPA mission to observe Jersey’s most recent general election in June 2022.
- Three States Members from Jersey – Deputies Tom Coles, Inna Gardiner and Hilary Jeune – were among those making up a CPA team which monitored the UK general election in July last year.
- Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney are part of the CPA’s British Islands and Mediterranean Region, along with the UK branch and parliaments or assemblies from Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Malta, Northern Ireland, St Helena, Scotland and Wales.
