ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — A nine-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) Election Observation Mission has begun high-level engagements in Antigua and Barbuda ahead of next week’s general elections, as regional observers move to assess the credibility of the electoral environment before polling day.

The team, deployed by Caricom at the invitation of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, arrived in the twin-island nation on Thursday and will meet with key political and institutional stakeholders in advance of the April 30 vote.

The mission will hold consultations with Government and Opposition representatives, the Electoral Commission, and the supervisor of elections, as well as civil society groups, including youth, business leaders, religious organisations and the media.

Caricom said the engagements form part of its assessment of the pre-election climate, including the readiness of electoral systems and the overall political environment.

On election day, observers will be deployed across the country to monitor the full process — from the opening of polling stations to the casting and counting of ballots — while also gathering data to support verification of results and evaluating the conduct of electoral officials and political actors.

The mission is expected to issue a preliminary statement shortly after the polls, outlining its initial findings on the conduct of the elections, before submitting a detailed final report to the Caricom secretary-general.

The observers are scheduled to leave Antigua and Barbuda on May 3, following the completion of their assessment.

Maxine McClean, a member of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission in Barbados, is heading the mission. The other members of the team are: Herman St Helen, chief elections officer of Saint Lucia (deputy chief of mission); Ambassador Felix Gregoire, chairman of the Public Service Commission in Dominica; Rohan Porter, acting assistant director of elections – field operation, Jamaica; Stephanie Bram, member of the Electoral Bureau in Suriname; and Karla Dayton Edwards, commissioner of the Election and Boundaries Commission in Trinidad and Tobago.

They are supported by a three-member team from the Caricom Secretariat.