GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — A nine-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) Election Observation Mission (CEOM) has concluded that voters in The Bahamas were able to cast their ballots peacefully and orderly during the country’s general elections held earlier this week.

The mission was mounted at the invitation of Dame Cynthia A Pratt, governor-general of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, and included electoral experts from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

The Caricom team, supported by members of the CaricomSecretariat, began its work on May 5 and is scheduled to conclude on Friday.

As part of its pre-election activities, the observer mission met with a broad cross-section of Bahamian society and key stakeholders to assess preparations for the polls.

On election day, observers were deployed across New Providence and Grand Bahama, monitoring he opening of polls, voting procedures, the closing process, and the counting and tabulation of ballots.

The mission reported that observers visited 22 constituencies in New Providence and all five constituencies in Grand Bahama, observing election procedures at 317 polling divisions.

According to the preliminary findings, polling staff and election materials arrived on time at most locations, allowing polls to open promptly at 8:00 am (local time), although a few polling stations experienced minor delays.

The observers also noted an adequate police presence at polling sites and reported that party agents from all political parties were present during the voting process.

At most polling stations, voters had access to lists of electors and information clerks who assisted with locating polling divisions. Election workers were described as courteous and adequately trained, particularly in assisting elderly and incapacitated voters.

While some minor inconsistencies in the application of procedures were observed, the mission stated that these were limited and did not disrupt the overall voting process.

The observer team noted steady voter turnout during the morning hours and closer to the end of polling, with lower activity during midday.

At the close of polls, most stations shut down at the scheduled time of 6:00 pm, though some remained open slightly longer to compensate for delayed openings earlier in the day.

Caricom observers also monitored the counting of ballots, sealing of ballot boxes and transfer of electoral materials to holding stations. The mission said ballot boxes were opened transparently in the presence of party agents, election officials and observers, and that results were publicly shared in keeping with established procedures.

In its interim statement, the CEOM said it was satisfied that the elections reflected the will of the Bahamian people.

“The polling day workers performed their duties professionally and must be commended,” the mission stated, while also praising the professionalism of police officers and the orderly conduct of voters.

The mission further commended the Parliamentary Registration Department for administering the electoral process and thanked the people of The Bahamas for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere throughout election day.

Caricom said a final report outlining the mission’s findings and recommendations will be submitted to the Caricom secretary-general in the coming weeks.