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by pltm
(PLTM) - An investigation by the Supervisor of Election is underway into the leaking and publication of election results from Advance Polling Day, prior to the official tabulation of votes.
This was disclosed by the members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Election Observation Mission (EOM), who also highlighted a distrust in the electoral system.
Earlier today, February 27, the members of the mission publicized their Preliminary Report, and within the report were concerns over the leak of the February 21 Advance Polling results—which is a breach of the election law.
Elections Coordinator attached to the mission, Ms. Felicity Herrmann in presenting information on Advance Polling Day said, “Shortly after advance polling, the alleged results of some districts were disseminated on WhatsApp. It was subsequently identified that one published report reflected a district result.”
This, she said, compromised and undermined the integrity of the electoral process.
As published in the report, she stated, “If originating from agents and/or candidates, this demonstrates a breaking of their oath, as set out in the election law and Form 32. At the time of writing this report, an investigation is underway to determine the source of this breach.”
Distrust
Meanwhile, Head of the Mission, Hon. Palmavon Webster in her review of the elections said that while it was both vibrant and competitive, “there is distrust in the electoral system, and the mission continues to express concern that the regulatory framework, particularly in relation to campaign financing, lacks transparency and undermines the equality and openness of the election process.”
Elections Analyst, Matthew Salik, expounding on the lack of trust in the system, went on to say, “I think it’s fair to say that a great deal of the people that we engaged with and spoke to reiterated this viewpoint.”
He said there are a number of factors that led to this perception.
“It’s due to factors such as campaign finance regulations and the lack thereof, the public not knowing where political parties are getting their money from and how they are spending it and where they’re spending it,” Mr. Salik disclosed.
He went on to say, “That raised a sort of suspicion as to whether people are being manipulated or encouraged to vote in a way that they may not choose to. There’s also questions about the transparency of the voter registration and the verification of what’s on the voter registration lists, and suspicions of persons moving from one district to another to manipulate the results in that district.”
However, Jamie Greene, a Parliamentarian from Scotland noted, “We found no evidence of any manipulation or corruption. It is a perception of distrust. It does not mean that there is any evidence to substantiate that, but if that’s what people are saying, then we have to reflect those views.”
