Madam Chair,
Distinguished Permanent Representatives,
Distinguished Permanent Observers,
Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In an exchange of correspondence beginning in June 2007, Prof. Errol Miller, Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, with the endorsement of the Government of Jamaica, invited the Organization of American States to observe the 15th general elections in Jamaica. The Organization of American States responded positively to this request and arranged, for the first time, to observe elections on the island.

During a short preliminary mission, from August 15 to 16, I met with the various administrative and political actors in the electoral process to discuss preparations for the election and signed an agreement with the Electoral Office of Jamaica establishing the objectives and procedures for the observers’ activities.

It was during this visit that we also signed an agreement of privileges and immunities with the Government of Jamaica, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Honorable Anthony Hylton.

I took also the opportunity during the preliminary mission and in the days before election to meet with the Governor General, The Most Honorable Kenneth Hall, the political ombudsman, representatives of civil society organizations, including youth and religious organizations, the international diplomatic community and the local observer group CAFFE (Citizens’ Action for Free and Fair Elections).

Due to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Dean, the elections, originally scheduled for August 27, were postponed by a week until September 3. Among the effects of the hurricane was the almost total loss of electricity throughout the island. Hurricane Dean not only disrupted the preparations for the elections, but the mission as well. Flights had to be rerouted and expenses increased accordingly. Despite these adverse circumstances, the OAS fielded a mission consisting of 38 observers from 15 countries, who were deployed in 88 percent of the island’s constituencies. The observation mission was composed of international observers, volunteers from the diplomatic missions in Jamaica and faculty staff of the University of the West Indies.

Since universal franchise in the 1940s, these elections proved to be the closest in the country’s history. Candidates from the two traditional parties of Jamaica, the People’s National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party competed in all 60 of the island’s constituencies. In 19 constituencies independent candidates ran independently or with a third political party. None of these succeeded in winning a seat, however.

After 18 years of Government by the People’s National Party, preliminary results indicate that the Jamaica Labour Party had returned to power with 32 seats, while the People’s National Party, with 28 seats, will form the new Opposition. The final and official results of the elections are expected tonight, as the recounting of the ballots continues. Based on reports in the media and expressions of political leaders, it is anticipated that legal challenges to some of the elected candidates may be presented after the announcement of the official results. The OAS continues to monitor the post-electoral developments in Jamaica.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica established 2.739 polling divisions, with 6.300 polling stations, in which 18.000 elections day workers were performing their duties. It is worth mentioning that, by Jamaican standards, voter turnout was relatively low, and approximately 60% of the registered 1.3 million voters went to the poll.

On election-day, observers were deployed throughout the country, witnessing firsthand the electoral preparations, opening and closing of poll, voting, and counting of ballots. They noted that, despite some violent acts and loss of life in the campaign period, election-day itself was peaceful. With few exceptions, polls throughout the country opened on time.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica had effectively addressed the challenges posed by Hurricane Dean: polling stations provided the room, shelter, and equipment needed by voters. The appropriate election materials were present and well-trained election officials performed their duties efficiently and conscientiously.

Everywhere, security was present and adequate. Auxiliary security workers manned the polling stations; the police and armed forces maintained order around the polling centers both during voting and the count. Party agents maintained a spirit of collegiality and worked together with election officials to ensure a smooth and orderly process.

Almost without exception, everyone whose name was on the voter’s list was able to vote. Even those citizens without identifying documentation were afforded their franchise through alternative verification processes; observers remarked that officials were scrupulous in ensuring that no voter who could prove their entitlement to vote was disenfranchised.

In 700 of the most contentious constituencies (also known as “Garrison Constituencies” in Jamaica), the Electoral Office of Jamaica had implemented an Electronic Voter Identification and Ballot Issuing System, using fingerprints to verify voter identities. This technology required the use of a fingerprint reader, a portable computer and a printer. The voter merely placed his or her finger on the reader and all of the relevant information appeared on the computer screen. Despite the high level technology voters appeared to trust this system. Likewise, the technicians and poll workers were comfortable in its use. It is important to note, however, that this is not electronic voting. Citizens still mark a paper ballot creating a paper trail that is later verified. Initial reports from our observers and those of CAFFE (Citizens’ Action for Free and Fair Elections) indicate that this technology worked well and was confidently accepted by both officials and voters.

Lines in the morning were long in many places. The wait was exacerbated by the fact that many voters did not have proper identification and their identities had to be verified through a series of questions. Lines eventually subsided and all who wanted to, voted. Polls closed promptly at 5:00 p.m. and, as at the opening, electoral officials followed procedures appropriately and expeditiously. Preliminary results were released the same day.

At the invitation of the Electoral Office of Jamaica, the Mission appointed a member of its team to participate in the deliberations of the Election Center, a mechanism that, in the run-up to the election, permitted the political parties to voice their concerns to appropriate authorities and seek immediate responses to these concerns. The observer of this process was impressed by the openness and effectiveness of the Election Center, which allowed participants from across the political spectrum to communicate grievances or anxieties in a neutral setting and to request and see quick action on security and election management.

The OAS Mission wishes to congratulate and thank all those involved in the General Elections of 2007 in Jamaica. In particular, the Jamaican people are to be congratulated on their peaceful and orderly participation in this vital democratic exercise. The Electoral Office of Jamaica, headed by Danville Walker did an excellent job under difficult circumstances. Election officials, the constabulary and security forces all performed their duties in an exemplary fashion, as did the national electoral observation group, CAFFE.

I believe that the Jamaican electoral authorities, through the professional implementation of innovations and improvements in the electoral machinery, have been able to create a trustworthy, credible, integer, respected and authoritative institution that has the ability to provide guidance in situations of uncertainty.

It is undeniable that the campaign was contentious and rhetoric reached at times a high pitch level. However, at the same time, the Mission can attest the cooperation between the parties and the electoral authorities to anticipate and prevent violent acts and egregious attempts at election fraud. Moreover, on Election Day night, the leaders of the competing political parties urged their supporters to refrain from premature and overzealous celebrations, which – in the opinion of the Mission - contributed to maintaining a relatively peaceful environment after the close of the polls.

It is important to note that, in accordance with OAS practice, the Electoral Observation Mission met and consulted with the other electoral observation missions (CARICOM and CAFFE).

In the spirit of constructive engagement with the electoral authorities and political leaders of Jamaica, and as is customary in reports of this nature, the Mission would like to present the following observations and recommendations. In its final report to the Permanent Council, the Mission will expand upon these points.

1. Traditionally, campaigns in Jamaica last about two weeks. This campaign, however, officially lasted a total of eight weeks, taking into account the postponement of elections and unofficial campaigning began nearly a year before Election Day. Many, including party representatives themselves, complained that the campaign was too long, too expensive and ultimately too acrimonious. Currently, the electoral law prohibits parties from organizing campaign rallies in the final 24 hours of the campaign. The Mission believes all forms of campaigns, including print and electronic media, should be included in this prohibition. Moreover, political and electoral authorities might consider the constitution of a Media Monitoring Unit to follow and analyze campaign coverage as well as paid advertising to ensure a certain modicum of civility.

2. Observers noted long lines, especially in the morning. These lines, however, were very uneven as some polling stations had as many as 400 voters where, according to one observer in the field, one polling station had only seven registered voters. Effort should be made to achieve a more even spread of registered voters among the polling stations, making at the same time, every attempt not to disrupt the original voting sites of citizens.

3. Many voters did not have their voter identification card with them and therefore had to go through a process of questioning, confirmation and fingerprinting, which on average doubled the time for the casting of the ballot. The Electoral Office of Jamaica may wish to consider the use of other documents for identification (passport; driver license), so that unnecessary delays can be prevented and with that, in cases of long lines, irritation.

4. The Mission was particularly impressed with the structure and functioning of the Election Center. Representatives of the political parties were provided with a permanent, private forum to express their concerns and request immediate action of the electoral and security authorities. The Electoral Center included among its members the national observation mission as well as the OAS Electoral Observation Mission. This Center could represent a model for other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The final conclusion of the OAS observation Mission in Jamaica is positive. These elections were extremely well organized, transparent and every effort was made to promote the participation of all citizens.

In closing, I would also like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza for designating me as Chief of Mission. I also want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Governments of Canada, the United States and the People’s Republic of China for providing crucial financial support. The Governments of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic and Haiti provided observers as did the University of the West Indies.

Finally, I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Steven Griner and the Core Team members for their hard work in preparation of the Mission, in which context I include in these thanks the Finance Department.

The Organisation of American States Country Office in Jamaica, so ably led by Dr Joan Neil, was critical in facilitating this electoral observation mission and for that we thank Dr Neil’s team for their unwavering support and availability during the days the Mission was present in Jamaica.

This, Madam Chair, concludes the Chief of Mission’s report for the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Jamaica.