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A team of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) observers has deemed the recent General Elections in Grenada free and fair.According to a CARICOM statement, a core team of Electoral Observer Mission arrived on July 2, followed by the rest of team on July 4, to monitor the General Elections last Tuesday.聽鈥淭he Mission was deployed in all constituencies,Cincinnati Reds Scott Feldman Jersey, with the exception of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.聽 The Mission would like to place on record that the group was able to cover 85 per cent of the polling stations in Grenada.鈥滱ccording to the statement,New York Yankees Jon Niese Jersey, the Mission observed preparatory arrangements for the elections and the level of adherence to the electoral procedures,Colby Rasmus Jersey, as well as provided an assessment of the outcomes of the elections.鈥淲ithin the first two days, the Mission attended political meetings of the three parties,Joe Blanton Jersey, the New National Party (NNP),Ian Desmond Jersey, the New Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Platform.聽聽鈥淎t these gatherings, the leaders called for peace and also addressed the issues affecting the citizens of Grenada.鈥滵iscussions were also held with some of the other main stakeholders in the country, including the Chairman of the Grenada Conference of Churches,Josh Reddick Jersey, the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Civil Society, NGOs and Women鈥檚 Groups.鈥淭he Mission commended these institutions for the significant role they played in raising the awareness of the electoral process. The Mission also met and shared information with the Organization of American States Observer Team.鈥漈he polling stations observed were opened promptly at 06:00 hrs,Drew Storen Jersey, in accordance with the Electoral Law, with the voters queuing in long lines for hours 鈥渨aiting peacefully and patiently to exercise their franchise鈥�.聽During the poll,Tony Sanchez Jersey, and at the close of the poll, all procedures were followed,Wilson Ramos Jersey, the observer team reported.聽The majority of the Parliamentary Electoral Office staff performed their duties efficiently in spite of a few minor infractions that did not negatively impact on the process.鈥淭he general view of the CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission is that General Elections 2008 in Grenada reflected the will of the people. |
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