The Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) has issued key findings and recommendations aimed at strengthening St. Lucia’s electoral system.
Led by former Guyanese ambassador Dr. Riyad Insanally, the Mission reported that the December 1 polls were generally orderly and peaceful but noted several administrative challenges, largely due to the 21-day window between the issuance of Writs of Election and voting day.
The EOM found that while the Electoral Department maintained a state of readiness, its operational plan lacked clear deadlines for critical tasks such as delivering materials, assigning credentials, and training staff. It recommended adopting a full electoral calendar with defined timelines, improving data-sharing with the Civil Status Registry to keep the voters list up to date, and increasing voting booths-particularly for security forces during Advance Poll-to reduce wait times.
To ease congestion on Election Day, the Mission urged standardized procedures for checking voter credentials, installing multiple booths per station, and creating secure training environments for election officials. It also called for greater promotion of the Voter Record Search tool and the establishment of staffed information kiosks at polling places.
On legal matters, the EOM highlighted the absence of statutory deadlines for deciding election petitions and recommended introducing clear timelines. It also suggested expanding the Electoral Commission, developing a legal framework for registering political parties, and simplifying the symbol-allocation process.
The Mission repeated long-standing calls for a regulatory framework on political financing and stronger cooperation among oversight bodies. It further stressed that women remain underrepresented as candidates and urged measures such as party-level parity rules, gender quotas, financial support, and expanded leadership training to promote women’s political participation.