The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has been named by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, to the multilateral body’s Observer Mission to the Maldives presidential election holding on Saturday, September 7, 2013.
Maldives is an island country located in the Indian Ocean south of India’s Lakshadweep region, near Sri Lanka.
The 17-member observer mission, which is being led by former Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, arrived in the island country on Saturday, August 31, and will depart on Saturday, September 14, 2013.
The observer mission is mandated to independently measure the Maldives election against the International Declaration of Principles, make suggestions on how to strengthen the electoral framework, and submit a report on the election to both the Commonwealth and the Maldives.
The mission is further mandated to consider all aspects of the electoral process in the Maldives, and assess their compliance with agreed standards for fair polling.
The Maldives assignment indexes the growing regard of the world community for Nigerian electoral management.
