Elecciones en Santa Lucía | El primer ministro Allen Chastanet busca hoy la reelección
Elecciones de Santa Lucía serán monitoreadas por observadores de la OEA y Caricom
Los habitantes de Santa Lucía, un pequeño territorio caribeño de solamente 178.000 habitantes y una superficie de 600 kilómetros cuadrados, acudirán a las urnas este lunes para elegir un nuevo Gobierno y miembros de la Asamblea Legislativa.
El primer ministro, Allen Chastanet, buscará la reelección, y lidera al gobernante Partido Unido de los Trabajadores (UWP, en inglés), tras llevar a la formación a la victoria en las elecciones de 2016, ganando 11 de los 17 escaños en juego.
Tendrá enfrente al Partido Laborista de Santa Lucía (SLP, en inglés).
El opositor SLP disputará la victoria a Chastanet bajo el liderazgo del ex vice primer ministro Phillip Pierre, quien sucede como candidato del partido al ex primer ministro Kenny Anthony.
Anthony, quien se desempeñó como jefe del Ejecutivo de 1997 a 2006 y nuevamente de 2011 a 2016, está incluido en la lista de candidatos del SLP.
La isla de Santa Lucía es un país independiente, aunque mantiene al monarca del Reino Unido como jefe de Estado, quien designa un gobernador general.
Santa Lucía, miembro de la Comunidad del Caribe (Caricom), tiene una alta dependencia del sector turístico y del cultivo de plátanos, principalmente.
Los más de 160.000 votantes elegirán entre los 45 candidatos que representan a tres partidos políticos y tres candidatos independientes en la contienda por el control del Parlamento de 17 escaños.
Los comentaristas políticos locales afirman que la elección es básicamente cosa de la carrera entre el UWP y el principal opositor Partido Laborista de Santa Lucía (SLP).
Ambos partidos han lanzado sus manifiestos políticos cada uno prometiendo a los votantes que cuentan con las políticas necesarias para llevar al país adelante en el nuevo entorno de la pandemia del coronavirus.
Las elecciones están siendo monitoreadas por equipos de observadores de la Commonwealth, la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) y la Caricom.
Chief of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission Delivers Message ahead of Elections
As Chief of the Electoral Observation Mission from the Organization of American States, it is my great honor to be here in Saint Lucia at this very important moment.
I lead a team comprised of 12 experts and observers from 10 different countries. Since our arrival, we have met with government and electoral authorities, political leaders, candidates, and representatives of civil society.
Our goal is to gather relevant information, hear all perspectives and analyze the process in a comprehensive and rigorous manner in order to make recommendations that will further strengthen electoral processes and institutions here in Saint Lucia.
Our experts are evaluating a range of issues related to the electoral process, including electoral organization and technology, electoral registries, political finance, and the political participation of women. We observed the advance vote and will be visiting polling places across the island on Election Day.
I take this opportunity to invite all of you to participate and vote this coming Monday. Elections are a wonderful opportunity to make your voices heard and have a say in the construction of the country you want for yourselves and your families.
Please be mindful of the sanitary protocols in place and follow the guidelines designed to stop the spread of Covid 19. Wear your masks, maintain social distance, sanitize your hands frequently and act responsibly to protect your health and that of others. Also, please remember to check that you are registered and look out for any changes in your voting sites.
In the coming days we will present a preliminary report with our findings and recommendations. In the meantime, I thank the authorities, political leaders, candidates, and representatives of the civil society for their openness, and the poll workers and other essential personnel for their commitment and hard work in organizing these general elections.
I wish you all a very successful Election Day.
Arrival statement CARICOM Election Observation Mission to the General Elections of Saint Lucia
In a letter dated 7 July 2021, the Honourable Allen M. Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia wrote to the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), His Excellency Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, inviting CARICOM to field a CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to observe the conduct of the General Elections which will be held in Saint Lucia on 26 July 2021. In response to the invitation, the Caribbean Community has mounted a ten-member Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to observe the General Elections.
The CEOM is headed by the Chief of Mission, Ms. Fern Narcis-Scope, Chief Elections Officer of the Elections and Boundaries Commission of Trinidad and Tobago.
Other members of the CEOM are:
Mr. John Jarvis – Antigua and Barbuda
Ms. Jeanette Charles – Antigua and Barbuda
Mr. Sase Gunraj – Guyana
Mr. Manoj Narayan – Guyana
Ambassador Michael Powell – St. Kitts and Nevis
Ms. Dora James – St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Mr. Steven Mac Andrew – Suriname
Mr. Hendrik Jamaloodin – Suriname; and
Ms. Pamela Ogiste – Trinidad and Tobago.
The CEOM is supported by Mr. Jhonson Alexandre and Ms. Serojnie Seetaram of the Foreign and Community Relations Directorate of the CARICOM Secretariat.
The role of the CEOM is to observe the electoral process, collect qualitative and quantitative information regarding the voting process and the results to facilitate the preparation of an Independent Final Report on the General Elections of Saint Lucia.
The Core Group arrived in Saint Lucia on 20 July 2021 while the remaining Observers arrived over the period 21 to 22 July 2021. Since arrival, meetings were held with the Honourable Allen M. Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Mr. Claudius Francis, Representative of the Leader of the Opposition, and Political Leader of the Saint Labour Party (SLP), Mr. Milton Desir, Commissioner of Police, Ms. Cynthia Combie Martyr, Chairperson and representatives of the Electoral Commission of Saint Lucia. Meetings have also been held with a number of Independent candidates. The CEOM also met with other stakeholders from a wide cross-section of Civil Society Organisations including the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, the National Youth Council, the National Council of Persons with Disabilities and the Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association.
These meetings are being held in an effort to provide the CEOM with an idea of the atmosphere and level of preparedness for the election. As part of the precautionary measures with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of the appointments have been conducted virtually.
The Mission will witness the advanced polls which will include police officers, poll day workers, fire service officers and hospital patients which will take place on Friday, 23 July 2021.
The CEOM will continue to observe the pre-election period and the Election Day activities including the opening of the polls through to the tabulation and announcement of the results.
Following the conclusion of the Election Day activities on 26 July 2021, a Preliminary Statement will be issued outlining the Mission’s initial assessment of the electoral process. The Mission will thereafter prepare a detailed Independent Final Report on the election for submission to His Excellency Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community.
The CEOM is extremely grateful for the warm welcome given to the team by the people of Saint Lucia and looks forward to supporting the democratic process in Saint Lucia and the CARICOM Region.
Best wishes to the people of Saint Lucia as they prepare to go to the polls on Monday 26 July 2021.
