CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) ELECTORAL OBSERVER MISSION TO TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO ARRIVAL STATEMENT

On the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean Community has mounted a CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission to monitor the election system and processes, as well as the conduct of the General Elections to be held on 5 November 2007.

The twenty-seven member Observer Mission comprises_

Core Group_

Observer Team_

Mr. Claudius James  Deputy Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission	Antigua and Barbuda
Mr. Hensley Robinson  Chief Elections Officer (ret’d)	Barbados
Ms. Grace Anne Crichlow  Observer on the Organisation of American States (OAS) Electoral Observer Mission to Haiti and former Deputy Chief of the OAS Special Mission to strengthen democracy in Haiti	Barbados
Ms. Myrtle Palacio  Director Office of Governance and former Chief Elections Officer	Belize
H.E. Mr. Charles Maynard  Ambassador of Dominica to CARICOM Former Minister of Government Member of CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission	Dominica
Mr. Victor Ashby  Former Supervisor of Elections Member of several Commonwealth electoral observer missions	Grenada
Hon. Lawrence Joseph  Speaker of the House of Representatives Member of previous CARICOM electoral observer missions	Grenada
Rev. Kwame Gilbert  Senior Pastor Former Election Day Official Adviser to the President of Guyana on community development and social policies	Guyana
Pandit Rabindranath Persaud Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Member of the National Integrity Commission Former Election day official	Guyana
Mr. Basil Bennett  Returning Officer, St Elizabeth	Jamaica
Mr. Robert Webster  Returning Officer, St Mary	Jamaica
Ms. Urel Williams  Returning Officer St Andrew	Jamaica
Sir Howard Fergus  Resident Tutor & Head UWI School Of Continuing Studies, St. Lucia Former Speaker, Legislative Council, Montserrat Former Supervisor of Elections	Montserrat
Ms. Lilia Ramjeawan  Member of CARICOM Electoral Observer Missions to Guyana and Jamaica General Elections	Saint Lucia
Mr. Oliver Knight  Manager, Electoral Office	St Kitts and Nevis
Ms. Jennifer Van Dijk-Silos  Chair of the Independent Electoral Council of Suriname	Suriname
Ms. Dorothy Telting  Policy Advisor Ministry of Labour, Technological Development and Environment	Suriname
Mr. Neville Bissember Jr Assistant General Counsel Member of ACP Electoral Observer Missions to Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe	CARICOM Secretariat
Ms. Sandra Plummer  Deputy Programme Manager Health Sector Development Former Member of the Electoral Assistance Bureau, Guyana	CARICOM Secretariat
Mr. Eugene Petty  Former Chief Elections Officer St Kitts and Nevis Member/Coordinator of previous CARICOM Electoral Observer Missions	CARICOM Secretariat

Mr. Ryan Peralto of Jamaica is also expected to join the Team.

The Core Group arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on 28 and 29 October. The other members of the Observer Mission arrived over the period 30 October to 1 November 2007. Twenty-five members of the Mission will be deployed in Trinidad, while two will be deployed in Tobago. The Electoral Observer Mission will depart the country on 7 and 8 November 2007.

Since arriving in Trinidad and Tobago, the Chief of Mission accompanied by the Deputy Chief of Mission and other members of the Core Group have paid courtesy calls on the President, His Excellency Dr. Maxwell Richards; the Prime Minister, Hon. Patrick Manning, and met with representatives of the executive of the Congress of the People (COP); the People’s National Movement (PNM); and the United National Congress Alliance (UNCA). The team also met with members of the Elections and Boundaries Commission; Mr. Trevor Paul, the Commissioner of Police; representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce; the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Council; and other Non-Governmental Organisations. The Group is also expected to meet with representatives of religious communities and the trade union movement on Friday, 2 November.

On the day of the Elections, the Observer Mission will monitor the electoral process, including the opening of the Poll, the voting process, the closing of the Poll and the counting of the ballots. The Mission will issue a preliminary statement based on the Mission’s observations and findings. A Report of the General Elections will be subsequently prepared and submitted to the CARICOM Secretary-General.

The CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission is very pleased with, and grateful for, the cooperation received from the representatives of the various stakeholders in the General Elections.

CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission
Port-of-Spain
Trinidad and Tobago
2 November 2007