By LC From isle of Man.com

The President of Tynwald, Steve Rodan MLC, is to head a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR), election observer mission to the Cayman Islands.

Mr Rodan will lead the six-strong observers’ delegation to Grand Cayman ahead of the general elections in the British Overseas Territory on May 24 to assess the electoral process, ensure procedures meet international standards of political democracy and professional competency and are conducted in an impartial and transparent manner.

He will be joined by political analyst/observer Amin Rabitsch; legal analyst/observer Anne Marlborough; CPA UK election coordinator/observer Mariam El-Azm; and short-term observers CPA Caribbean Aurjul Wilson, (Anguilla) and Akilah M K Nisbett (St Kitts and Nevis).

The 2017 general elections will be the fourth since the introduction of political parties in the Cayman Islands and the first under a new system of ‘one person, one vote’ in single-member constituencies.

For Mr Rodan, the deployment to the Cayman Islands will be the second occasion when he has led an observers’ delegation; in 2015 he served as head of mission for the general elections in the British Virgin Islands.

Looking ahead to the elections he said: ‘It is important that national elections, wherever they are held, are seen to be free, fair, and above board. A team of independent outside observers is a good way of doing that. It is important to the people of the Cayman Islands that they have confidence in the democratic process and their election result.

‘I am honoured to have been asked to head this mission, and especially that the Isle of Man has been given another part to play on the international stage. Our Report to the Cayman Islands authorities will, I hope, be used to strengthen their democracy for the future.’

The general elections concluded, the mission will produce a preliminary and later a final report.

Photo – The flag of the Cayman Islands.

For more on this story go to: http://www.isleofman.com/News/details/82883/president-of-tynwald-to-head-cayman-islands-election-observer-mission