CPA election observers here to ‘look and listen’ not interfere

(CNS): The international election observers from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association are here to watch the election process and listen to what people have to say, not to interfere with the campaign or the election itself, they said Tuesday. During their time here, they will be looking at what happens and asking everyone involved, including voters and candidates, neutral questions before they draw any conclusions and offer their final observations and recommendations.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, the team of observers from the arm of the association that deals with the British Islands and Mediterranean Region, the four parliamentarians from the Isle of Man, Jersey, Scotland and Wales explained why they are here and what they will be doing.
They said that they would be meeting with election officials, parliamentary candidates, members of the public, and civil society groups, such as non-profit organisations, to understand the local electoral landscape and the specific context of the election.
Head of Mission Rob Ward, from the States Assembly of Jersey, said the work they do strengthens democracy and fosters public trust in institutions. “We look forward to hearing about the election from many people in the Cayman Islands in the next two weeks,” he added.
The CPA mission, which is independent from Cayman’s own local observers team, was invited by the governor’s office and they will assess the 2025 election against international standards, commitments and obligations, as well as Cayman’s own laws.
The team, which includes Anne Marlborough, an election analyst from Ireland, explained that their work will provide a tool for members of civil society who are campaigning for improvements to the election process or those seeking full election reform.
She said, “We are curious and we are going to ask lots of questions, but we are literally observing the elections; we are not participating… and we are not going to interfere in any way in this election.”
The team is well aware of previous missions’ reports and that many recommendations have not been adopted. Nevertheless, they said their aim is to take an impartial look at this election, and it’s not for them to comment on what has or has not happened as a result of previous missions.
The recommendations give parliamentarians the information they need to improve the process, but Marlborough said the observers can’t force any jurisdiction to change their laws; that’s down to the parliaments and ultimately the people that the parliaments represent.
The mission pressed home their impartiality and urged people to contact them directly with their comments and observations, which will be treated with the strictest confidence.
The observers said they will be looking at all aspects of the process and how Cayman upholds its own laws and follows international best practice, including concerns about vote buying or inducement and disability access at the polls.
Anyone wishing to share their experience of the election can contact the mission by emailing cpabimr@parliament.uk
See the full conference below:
Check out the CNS Election Section interactive map to see who is running in each constituency.
See the list of candidates and their party affiliations here.
Category: Election News
Their toothless “report” was ignored last time by MPs, and will be ignored again. Just an all-expenses box ticking juncket from the UK, yawn.
Sadly they can’t observe all the hidden stuff.