Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma is deploying an Election Assessment Team for the 13 December 2010 elections in St Vincent and the Grenadines, following an invitation from the Hon René Baptiste, Minister of Urban Development,  Culture, Labour and Electoral Matters.

The Team will consist of Mr Ron Gould, a former member of the Election Commission of Canada, and Commonwealth Secretariat Political Affairs Division officers Marcus Beltran and Charlene Lee Ling.

The Team will be present in the country from 8 December. In the lead-up to the poll, they will meet with relevant national and international stakeholders, notably officials responsible for organising the elections, representatives of political parties, civil society, other international groups and diplomatic missions.

The Team will conduct an analysis of the general conduct and framework for the elections, considering the preparations as well as the polling, counting and results, and the overall electoral environment. Upon completion of its duties, the Team will submit a report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General.

Note to Editors

For further enquiries please contact Yvonne Chin, Media and Communications Officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat, at y.chin@commonwealth.int or +44 (0) 20 7747 6514.

Abiba Mills-Odoi Executive Assistant Communications & Public Affairs Division   Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 7747 6381    Fax: Direct +44 (0) 207 004 7302  General: +44 (0) 20 839 9081 Web: www.thecommonwealth.org