Commonwealth MPs invited to observe BVI elections

PRESS RELEASE: The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region (CPA BIMR) will conduct an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the British Virgin Islands 2019.

CPA BIMR were invited by the Governor with approval of the Premier and Leader of the Opposition to observe the BVI elections against international standards, commitments and obligations as well as domestic laws.

The Mission will observe:

• political campaigning
• electoral administration
• voter registration and accessibility
• polling (including advance polling)
• counting and tabulation
• post-election complaints or appeals

A preliminary report will be published within two days following the election to outline the initial findings. A closing report will be published within two months after the election offering recommendations for potential electoral reform.

CPA BIM Regional Secretary, Jon Davies said:

“This will be the third occasion that CPA BIMR has had the honour to deploy an international election observation mission to the British Virgin Islands. We are grateful to BVI for again trusting us with this important responsibility. Election observations are vital elements of CPA and the Commonwealth’s commitment to enhance openness and transparency in parliamentary democracy. We look forward to supporting the efforts of BVI in that regard once again, and to offering further recommendations based on what the Mission observes.”

Mission Composition

The Mission will comprise of a six-member team from across the globe. As well as parliamentary observers, the Mission will be supported by a core team of two election specialist analysts and an election coordinator.

Election Observer Missions

CPA British Islands & Mediterranean Region (BIMR), is one of the nine regions of the CPA network, and is committed to strengthening democracy and good governance. Its secretariat is based in the UK Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Since 2011, CPA BIMR has organised short-term Election Observer Missions (EOM) across five UK Overseas Territories including the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands and Cayman Islands and most recently Jersey (a Crown Dependency). CPA UK has also overseen Election Assessment Missions (EAM) to the UK General Election in 2010, 2015 and 2017.

Further information:

• CPA UK is a signatory to the Declaration of Principles of International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers
• For further information, please contact the Mission at [email protected], CPA BIMR on [email protected] or tweet at @CPA _UK & #BVIobserve