Pre-Elections Monitors Arrive in Freetown
The National Democratic Institute (NDI), Sierra Leone chapter yesterday disclosed to journalists at the Cape Light House, Aberdeen that the institution has breezed in an international delegation to watch the first step of the electioneering process which is the voter registration.
The multinational delegation is co-led by Hon. Karan English, former member of the United State Congress (USA) and Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman Electoral Commission of Ghana (Ghana). Other members of the high power delegation include Hon. Miria Matembe, former member of the Pan African Parliament and Member of Uganda's Constitutional Commission (Uganda), Mathew Frumin, former Senior Policy Advisor to the United States Department of State (USA), Cerue Konah Garlo, Coordinator of the Women's NGO Secretariat of Liberia (Liberia); Makram Ouaiss, NDI Senior Advisor, and Nick Demeter, NDI - Sierra Leone Country Director.
The delegation is in Sierra Leone purposely to express the international community's interest in, and support for, democratic governance and the conduct of a free and fair multiparty election in Sierra Leone.
The team will also provide first hand report on an impartial and accurate electoral process to the people of Sierra Leone and the international community.
The NDI also believe that a successful presidential and parliamentary election will offer the people of Sierra Leone the best hope for attaining sustained peace and development in the country.
The team will meet representatives from the international community in Sierra Leone, political parties, officials of the National Elections Commission, government officials, journalists and civic leaders.
During their stay they are expected also to pay attention to the role of women in the electioneering process.
It is expected that the delegation will conduct its activities in a non partisan way in respect of the Sierra Leonean law, NEC's guidelines and code of conduct for observers and international standards for monitoring, agreed in the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.
According to NDI, this is the first of two pre-election assessment delegation into Sierra Leone in addition to the deployment of a team of eight long- term observers and approximately 40 short -term observers on election day.
Link to allAfrica.com: Sierra Leone: Pre-Elections Monitors Arrive in Freetown (Page 1 of 1)
