Prime Minister welcomes OAS decision to observe elections

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza during a visit to Grenada in 2011

ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, JANUARY 17, 2012 — Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas has welcomed the positive response from the Organisation of American States (OAS) to his invitation to monitor the upcoming general elections.

In his January 8, 2013 letter of invitation to OAS Secretary General H.E. Jose Miguel Insulza, the Prime Minister requested technical assistance to “evaluate and verify the integrity of the new voter registration system and to observe and monitor the next general elections in Grenada when it is called.”

The OAS has confirmed its decision to deploy an “electoral technical assessment mission to Grenada on or about January 21, 2013″ for a two week period to verify the integrity of the new voter system.”

The OAS complimented the Prime Minister for his government’s decision to implement the recommendations made by the OAS Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) for a new voter registration system.

“I am very pleased that the Government of Grenada decided to act upon the recommendations made by the previous OAS Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to implement a new registration system, considering that voter registries are a fundamental component of a democratic electoral process,” the Secretary General said.

Mr. Insulza said the necessary resources are “already available” for the OAS to carry out its technical cooperation activity. He said the OAS accepts the invitation to monitor the elections “with great honour.”

He has instructed the Department of Electoral Corporation and Observation (DECO) of the OAS to take the necessary steps to deploy an electoral mission to Grenada for the upcoming elections.