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International Election Observation in the Commonwealth Caribbean: Race, Aid and Democratization

International Election Observation in the Commonwealth Caribbean: Race, Aid and Democratization

Dr. Lisa Vasciannie
Faculty of Social Sciences
Government
Theme: 
Law, Governance and Society

This research examines the practice of international election observation in a Caribbean context. Previous research has focused primarily on Latin American and African states with little mention of the Caribbean reality.

The research presents a survey of the Commonwealth Caribbean perspective between 1964 and 2015. It traces the roots of election observation and how this practice became integrated into the landscape of Caribbean electoral politics. More specifically, the studyexamines the process by which election observers have become key actors in elections in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The main organizations observing Caribbean elections are the Organization of American States (OAS) and The Commonwealth. Others include CARICOM, the Carter Centre and the European Union (EU).

One of the issues the book contemplates is why Caribbean countries accept the imposition of observation within the context of sovereignty. The casesin the Anglophone Caribbean showhow the costs of nothaving observers have been multidimensional and have eclipsed concerns of respecting state sovereignty.

Despite strong resistance in the 1990s, international election observation is now a regular and normalized feature of elections in most Caribbean states

Table 1: Post-Independence Commonwealth Caribbean General Elections by Country, Share Observed and Date Held 1966-2015

OAS Observer Missions to the Commonwealth Caribbean1984-2016

Commonwealth Observer Missions to the Caribbean1964-2015

Carter Center Missions to the Commonwealth Caribbean1992-2015

CARICOM Election Missions: 1997-2016

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