The six-member Observer Mission from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterrian Region (CPA BIMR) released the following preliminary report on the general election held in Anguilla on April 22. The document was released at a press conference in the Executive Council’s Chambers on Friday, April 24. The full report is expected to be issued within the next two months.
“Anguilla’s 2015 election met some key international standards but improvement is required in critical areas. Fundamental freedoms were respected and the process was competitive. The peaceful and orderly manner in which the campaign and voting took place, including high levels of public engagement, is extremely commendable. Turnout on election day was high, Anguillans were free to express their will in secret and voting and counting processes were well managed and transparent. However, equal suffrage is not provided for and the regulatory framework needs to be strengthened, notably in campaign financing, media coverage and the registration of voters.”
Hon. Mario Galea MP, Malta – Head of Mission
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association British Islands and Mediterranean Region
Anguilla, April 2015
BACKGROUND
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, British Islands and MediterraneanRegion (CPA BIMR), Election Observer Mission (EOM) has been present in Anguilla since 12 April 2015, following an invitation from H.E. The Governor of Anguilla, with support of both the Government and the Opposition. The six member Mission was led by Hon. Mario Galea MP from Malta and included a Parliamentarian from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Hon. Sharlene Cartwright Robinson MP; an election official from Montserrat, Shivonne White; two Election Analysts from the United Kingdom (UK), Mark Stevens and Andrew Bruce; and an Election Coordinator from the UK, Matthew Salik.
The EOM assessed the electoral process in accordance with international standards for elections and domestic legislation. Prior to election day, the Mission met with election officials, political parties, candidates, media, civil society representatives, voters, the Governor, Deputy Governor, Attorney-General and Police Commissioner and attended a number of campaign rallies. On election day, Wednesday 22 April, the Mission made repeated visits to all 20 polling stations and observed the counting and results tabulation process.
The EOM is independent in its composition, findings and conclusions, adhering to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, signed at the United Nations in 2005. It will continue to follow post-election developments and will publish a final report, containing recommendations, within two months.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) has not been extended to Anguilla but this is currently in the process of being addressed. It is therefore relevant to consider provisions of the ICCPR in relation to the conduct of the election, not least because it represents the key international standard for elections.
The legal framework generally provides a basis for genuine, competitive elections and meets many ICCPR obligations.1 There is, however, an absence of regulation in a number of key areas, including the registration of political parties, campaign finance, boundary delimitation and media coverage. The Election Act and subsequent Amendments are in need of urgent review, for example to provide for regular review of electoral boundaries to ensure equal suffrage and to address definitions of voter eligibility and procedures for verifying eligibility, which should be further clarified to avoid uncertainty and contestation.
ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
The Supervisor of Elections is responsible for exercising general direction and supervision over the administrative conduct of elections and for ensuring that election officers act fairly and properly apply regulations. At present, Anguilla does not have a permanent independent election body. The Supervisor of Elections is a civil servant appointed to undertake the role for the period of elections and the Electoral Office is staffed by just two additional people, both of whom are also civil servants appointed to undertake their roles in addition to their regular roles in the Passport Office. Such limitations in staff resourcing as well as the lack of detail and clarity in the legal framework and the late announcement of the election date placed increased pressure on the Electoral Office. Various interlocutors raised questions to the Mission regarding the independence of the election administration.
The Central Electoral office undertook some voter education, for instance informing people on how to vote and reminding employers of the need to provide employees with time to vote. However a number of election stakeholders expressed the view that voter education could have been more extensive.
VOTER REGISTRATION
The issue of voter registration has been a major talking point during this election and is an area of considerable concern. Since 2008, voter registration has been conducted on a continuous basis, with lists published every three months for review. The final list for this election was published just two days before the poll, which is very late. Up until the Monday before the election, the Appeals Court was dealing with a series of objections to the list (see Complaints & Appeals). The main objections related to claims that some persons were registered in a district other than the one where they normally reside, and to Anguillans currently living abroad, which was an issue raised by many election stakeholders.
Universal suffrage is generally provided for, but there were a number of problems related to the voter registration process. The final voter list contained 10,908 names. As of the 2011 census 13,572 people resided on the Island, indicating that the voter list clearly contains quite a large number of Anguillans currently abroad. At present the requirement for residency and to be domicile are applied in a liberal manner. It seems to be a common practice for political parties to visit neighbouring islands and beyond and submit registration forms on behalf of individuals living abroad, which can raise concerns regarding the validity of such applications. Registering and bringing large number of voters from other countries to vote could have a significant impact on the outcome of the election considering the slim majority by which elections are won and lost in Anguilla.
The Mission also received complaints from a number of election stakeholders about persons registering in a District different to their usual place of residence. There were also claims that some people had registered in more than one District, but registration officers appear not to have the capacity to check or verify such applications in any detail. However, the use of indelible ink during polling should address the potential risk of double voting.
In this context, the introduction of Voter ID Cards in advance of the next elections is a welcome development, as they can increase transparency and integrity. Going forward it is vital for Anguilla to reach clarity and consensus on the issue of voter eligibility, establish suitable procedures to ensure a transparent and accountable process and provide concrete criteria in law outlining how to determine residence and domicile.
BOUNDARY DELIMITATION
Electoral boundaries were last reviewed in 1972 and over the years a marked disparity between districts has emerged. Based on the figures from the final voter list it is clear that there are significant disparities in the sizes of election districts, compromising the principle of equal suffrage, which effectively means that each vote should carry the same weight. For example, District 4 has 2,355 registered voters and District 3 has 2,005 registered voters, whereas District 2 has 964 registered voters and District 7 has 983 registered voters.
As a consequence, during these polls a candidate was elected in District 5 with 394 votes compared to a candidate in District 4 who lost with 655 votes. Equal suffrage is a key international principle in the conduct of elections and in this regard regulatory amendments to provide more parity between electoral districts is needed.
CANDIDATE REGISTRATION
The election was competitive and freedom of association was respected. A total of 19 candidates contested the polls. The nomination process was managed well and no complaints were received. Candidates represented three different political parties, the Anguillan United Front (AUF), the Anguillan United Movement (AUM) and Democracy, Opportunity, Vision & Empowerment (DOVE) Party. There were two independent candidates.
Members of the House of Assembly are constitutionally required to be at least 21 years of age and either been born in Anguilla and domiciled there at the date of nomination for election, or been residing in Anguilla for a period of not less than three years immediately before the date of nomination, domiciled there at that date and to have at least one parent who was born in Anguilla. This additional requirement of heritage is restrictive of the right to stand.2
The Constitution further stipulates that “no person shall be qualified to be elected” if he/she “holds or is acting in any public office…”As the Anguillan public service is estimated to be around 25 to 30 per cent of the working population, this restriction on nomination affects a considerable proportion of the population, and thus may be regarded as unduly limiting the right to stand.3 In addition, the Constitution forbids a minister of religion from standing for election, which may also be regarded as limiting the right to stand. Such restrictions also limit competent candidates from running for office.
CAMPAIGN
The campaign was vibrant and peaceful and saw high levels of public engagement. Fundamental freedoms of assembly, expression and movement were respected. Parties and candidates were able to campaign freely throughout the country, holding rallies, which were carried live on radio, making door-to-door visits, organising motorcades, putting up posters and distributing manifestos. A number of public debates were held involving the party leaders and independent candidates, which were broadcast on radio and TV. Campaigning by the main parties focused more on personality rather than policy, including some inappropriate personal attacks. Regretfully, the Mission observed examples of candidates from the AUF and AUM resorting to personal attacks at rallies, which a number of interlocutors also expressed concern about. The Police maintained a discreet, professional presence at campaign events.
As mentioned above, the legal framework lacks regulation on campaign financing. The Mission received a number of reports that parties and candidates were receiving large donations from business entities, underlining the need for greater transparency in campaign finance. The Mission also received multiple allegations that some political parties were providing air and sea transportation to voters living abroad to enable them to vote, repeating a practice that has reportedly been going on for some time. The Police confirmed that such allegations were rampant but difficult to prove as both those paying for and those receiving transportation would be liable for criminal prosecution. This demonstrates the need to both define the prohibition against treating in the Election Act more clearly and to investigate such allegations more thoroughly, with a view to bringing prosecutions if proof can be obtained.
MEDIA
As mentioned, media coverage is not regulated and there are no requirements to ensure equal access and balanced coverage. Nevertheless, there is a pluralistic media environment, which provides access to a broad range of political opinion and the Mission received reports from across the political spectrum that Radio Anguilla, the state broadcaster, provided balanced reporting and access to political contestants. In terms of private media, TV Anguilla and The Anguillan newspaper were widely considered to have provided balanced coverage. Radio and written media carried paid adverts for political parties and candidates. The media is widely considered by both media outlets and political contestants to be able to work freely, without censorship, obstruction or interference.
VOTING & COUNTING
On election day Anguillans turned out in large numbers to vote with a 73.3 percent turnout. The process was peaceful and well managed by diligent polling staff. The police also played a very positive role through their calm presence at polling centres to maintain order. Polling procedures are cumbersome, resulting in a fairly slow process, but polling officials followed them rigorously. Voters were free to express their will and cast their vote in secret. Indelible ink was applied to all voters observed.
Candidate agents were present in all polling stations and international observers were granted the right of access to all polling stations. Despite the problems in finalising the voter list, it proved reliable, with voters finding their names at their allocated polling station. The signage at each station informing voters of where to vote was excellent. However, the process for establishing the identity of voters needs to be strengthened; underlining the importance of having voter ID cards ready for the next election.
The cumulative effect of the large turnout and the rather slow voting process, together with imbalances between the number of voters allocated to each polling station meant that at many polling stations there were large queues during the day, resulting in many people having to wait several hours to cast their vote. In some places there were still queues at 7pm and polling continued for up to three hours to enable people to vote.
Ballots were transported by police to the counting centre. The counting process by Returning Officers was extremely transparent, with each ballot called out to assembled candidates’ agents, media and observers.
COMPLAINTS & APPEALS
Complaints about voter registration issues can be made to the Registration Officer and an appeal on the decision can be made to the Appeals Court. There were over 170 objections to the preliminary voter list and 31 cases were taken to the Appeals Court. Based on proceedings in the Appeals Court it seems that the hearings were not well administered by the Registration Officer. A petition against an election result can be submitted to the High Court within 21 days of the announcement of the result. There is no time limit for a ruling to be made, but the Mission was assured it is customary practice in Anguilla, and the Caribbean more broadly, for election cases to be heard expeditiously and given priority over other cases.
PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN
Women played a fairly prominent role in the election. The senior election management team were all female as were the overwhelming majority of Presiding Officers and Poll Clerks. The 2015 election was historic in that for the first time three women were elected to the House of Assembly out of the four women candidates. This included one woman candidate who stood as an independent.
In a further welcome development, it was reported to the Mission that progress is being made with regard to the application of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Mission would like to express its gratitude to the authorities, election stakeholders and the people of Anguilla. During our stay we were warmly received and everybody was extremely helpful to us. We hope and trust that this Mission’s conclusions will help strengthen democracy in Anguilla. We wish the people of Anguilla well for the future.
For any further information please contact the Head of Mission, Hon. Mario Galea MP,
E-mail: anguillaeom@gmail.com
This report will be made available for download on the following websites:
www.uk-cpa.org & www.gov.ai
1. Article 25 of the ICCPR states: “Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions mentioned in Article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions: (a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives, (b) To voteand to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors”.
2 General Comment 25 the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) notes “No distinctions are permitted between citizens in the enjoyment of these rights on the grounds of… national or social origin… Distinctions between those who are entitled to citizenship by birth and those who acquire it by naturalization may raise questions of compatibility with article 25.”
3 The HRC notes “if there are reasonable grounds for regarding certain elective offices as incompatible with tenure of specific positions (e.g. the judiciary, public service), measures to avoid any conflicts of interest should not unduly limit the rights protected [in ICCPR, article 25]”.
