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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
At
the invitation of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,
the Organization of American States (OAS) deployed an Electoral
Observation Mission (EOM), composed of 12 international observers. This
was the first time that the OAS had been invited to observe General
Elections in The Bahamas. The OAS/EOM monitored the process in 30
Constituencies and Observers were also present in the country several
days before the election.
The OAS would like to congratulate the
people of The Bahamas for the peaceful manner in which they exercised
their constitutional rights and civic responsibility, which has served
to continue strengthening the country’s democratic institutions. The OAS
also wishes to offer its congratulations to the new government and
looks forward to working with the incoming authorities.
OAS
international observers visited 189 polling stations throughout Election
Day. Voting started on time at 8:00 am in all polling stations
observed. Presiding officers, and all poll clerks were present prior to
the opening of the polls and all polling stations observed had the
required material for the functioning of the process. In all observed
cases police were present and helped to ensure a peaceful atmosphere.
Voter participation was high and estimated at 88%.
Observers
noted that most of the presiding officers and other poll workers as well
as party agents were women. The Mission was pleased that senior
citizens and persons with disabilities were assisted by various poll
workers and the police, in order to ensure easy access to polling
stations. The Parliamentary Registration Department deserves praise for
organizing a smooth and successful process.
With the purpose of
strengthening the electoral system in The Bahamas, and based on the
observations and information gathered both in the pre-electoral period
and on Election Day, the OAS Electoral Observation Mission would like to
offer the following preliminary recommendations:
1) First, it
is a positive feature of the process that candidates are required by law
to make a declaration of income and assets in order to be nominated.
However, there is no such disclosure requirement for the financing of
their campaigns. The Mission recommends the adoption of a legal
framework on the financing of political parties and campaigns in order
to enhance the accountability, transparency and equity of the democratic
process.
2) Second, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of female
suffrage in The Bahamas. For this election there were 18,574 more women
than men registered as voters. However, the increased participation of
women as voters has not yet translated into other key areas of political
participation. Only 22 out of 133 candidates for this election were
women, representing 16.5%. The Mission encourages political parties to
incorporate more women in leadership positions and as candidates.
3)
Third, the Mission notes that The Bahamas undertakes a complete
re-registration of voters every five years. This positive effort
guarantees that the electoral register accurately reflects the current
voting population. The Bahamas also redraws its constituency boundaries
on a regular basis. This important process should always be independent
and the membership of the Boundaries Commission should reflect this.
4)
In terms of media access, only the state-owned broadcasting corporation
(the radio transmission in particular) has the capacity to provide
extensive service to all of the islands within The Commonwealth of The
Bahamas. The Mission encourages the State Broadcasting Corporation to
continue to provide access to all political parties and candidates in a
free, fair and independent manner.
The OAS/EOM would like to
thank the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, and South Korea as
well as Mission Leadership and Université Laval (Canada) for their
contributions, which made this Mission possible. It would also like to
thank once again the Government of The Bahamas and the Parliamentary
Registration Department in particular for its support and many
courtesies.
Ambassador Alfonso Quiñonez, who led the Mission,
will present shortly to the OAS Permanent Council a detailed Verbal
Report that will be made available at the OAS Website.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
© Copyright 2012 by thebahamasweekly.com
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