Former INEC Chairman Jega, 9 Others Make List Of Commonwealth Election Observation Mission In Bangladesh

Former INEC Chairman Jega, 9 Others Make List Of Commonwealth Election Observation Mission In Bangladesh

Prof. Attahiru Jega, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and nine other prominent experts from Commonwealth nations have been selected to form a 10-person Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) tasked with observing the upcoming Bangladesh general elections on January 7th, 2024.

The announcement of the CET observers was made by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, following an invitation from the Bangladesh Election Commission.

The team of experts, appointed for this cross-functional role, will be led by the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Hon Bruce Golding.

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Expressing his acceptance of the invitation, Golding stated that it is an honor to lead the CET’s mission to observe the elections in Bangladesh.

In a statement, the Commonwealth Secretary-General said, “The team’s deployment demonstrates the Commonwealth’s continued commitment to supporting electoral democracy in our 56 member countries and safeguarding the rights of the people of Bangladesh as they take part in these pivotal elections.”

She also mentioned that the CET will receive support from staff members of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The team is comprised of Dr Samuel Azu’u Fonkam, former Chairman of Elections Cameroon; Mr Sabyasachi Banerjee, Advocate and Special Public Prosecutor at Calcutta High Court, India; Ms Pauline Njoroge, digital media specialist from Kenya; Mr Jeffrey Salim Waheed, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Maldives; Ms Hennah Joku, media specialist from Papua New Guinea; Prof Dinesha Samararatne, Professor at the Department of Public & International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, and Member of Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka; Ms Terry Dale Ince, gender and human rights advocate, organizational development consultant, and Founder of the CEDAW Committee of Trinidad and Tobago; and Mr Mark Stephens, Partner at Howard Kennedy LLP and Member of Commonwealth Lawyers Association from the United Kingdom.

During their stay in Bangladesh, the CET will engage with various stakeholders, including political parties, police, civil society groups, citizen observers, monitor groups, and representatives from the media.

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