Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has written a 14-page letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley requesting election observers for the next general election.
The letter, dated September 16, 2024, included a list of 16 independent international and regional organisations the Prime Minister could consider to utilise and invite as election observers.
She said there was sufficient time for proper invitations, requisite monetary allocations, and other incidentals to be issued/allocated to properly and legally allow Trinidad and Tobago to host international and regional observers for the upcoming general election.
Persad-Bissessar said there were issues that have plagued election systems in T&T from the general election, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election and the local government election.
“Under the cherished democratic tenet, elections must not only be fair but must also be seen to be fair,” she added.
Persad-Bissessar said Rowley had seen the importance of international and regional observers in past Caribbean elections. She recalled he was part of a Caricom delegation that visited Guyana in March 2020 to meet with the main actors concerning Guyana’s general election impasse.
“Thus, you can attest today to the importance of international and regional observers in national elections,” she said.
She said as “geopolitical sands continue to shift”, those invested in the political values of freedom, tolerance, peace and democracy within Caricom and the western hemisphere must do everything to preserve democracy. “Therefore, all action must be taken to ensure that the democratic rights of our citizens are not curtailed, hindered, or contravened in any way in our upcoming general elections,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said the UNC firmly believes international and regional observers are needed to ensure the election is conducted in a free, fair and just manner, reflecting the true mandate of the people.