The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat has answered an official invitation from The Bahamas’ top representative to the Commonwealth, moving forward with plans to deploy a 12-person international election observation mission ahead of the country’s upcoming general election on 12 May 2026. The invitation, delivered in a formal letter dated 10 April 2026, came from Dame Cynthia A. Pratt, O.N., GCMG, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, opening the door for independent regional monitoring of the democratic process.
Leading the CARICOM Election Observer Mission (CEOM) is Herman St. Helen, Chief Elections Officer of the Saint Lucia Electoral Department, with Debra Hughes, Chairperson of Barbados’ Electoral Commission, stepping in as Deputy Chief of Mission. The 10 additional mission members drawn from independent electoral bodies across the Caribbean region include Alrick Daniel (Electoral Commission Member, Antigua and Barbuda), Ambassador Felix Gregoire (Chairman of Dominica’s Public Service Commission), Therona Lashington (Assistant Supervisor of Elections, Grenada), Peterson Pierre-Louis (Secretary-General of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council), Denese Coley-Hines (Regional Field Manager, Jamaica Electoral Commission), Kadean Williams (Systems Supervisor, Electoral Commission of St. Vincent and the Grenadines), and Cecil Valies (Member of Suriname’s Independent Electoral Council). Three CARICOM Secretariat staff members – Shae Alicia Lewis, Programme Manager for Community Relations; Cameron Clarke, Project Officer for Foreign and Community Relations; and Denise Morgan, Administrative Assistant for Foreign and Community Relations – provide administrative and logistical support to the observer team.
To lay the groundwork for their assessment, the mission’s core leadership group, consisting of the Chief of Mission, Deputy Chief of Mission, and CARICOM Secretariat support personnel, arrived in Nassau on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. The rest of the observer delegation will join them between 7 and 8 May 2026, and the full mission is scheduled to depart The Bahamas between 14 and 15 May 2026, after all post-election preliminary activities are completed.
Throughout their deployment, the CEOM will carry out a neutral, comprehensive evaluation of every stage of the electoral process, covering pre-election preparations, election day voting operations, and the post-election political climate. The assessment will examine key details ranging from the conduct of political parties and candidates to public and institutional response to the final election results.
In the lead-up to voting day, the mission has already held introductory meetings with a broad range of national stakeholders, including Commissioner of Police Shanta Emily Knowles, youth organization representatives, and local media outlets. In the coming days, the team is set to hold additional consultations with The Bahamas’ sitting Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, leaders of all contesting political parties, and independent candidates. It will also meet with officials from the Parliamentary Registration Department, as well as representatives from civil society organizations and both private and public sector groups to gather diverse perspectives on the electoral process.
On 12 May, election day, observers will be deployed across polling locations to monitor every step of voting operations, from pre-opening preparations and the opening of polling stations, through the casting of ballots, the closure of polls, the counting of votes, and the compilation of official Statements of Poll for each constituency.
After the conclusion of voting, the CEOM will first release a public Preliminary Statement outlining its initial findings on the integrity of the electoral process. A full Final Report will then be compiled for the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, which will subsequently be shared with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Leader of the Opposition, Parliamentary Registration Department, and published in full on the CARICOM official website for public access.
In a statement following the mission’s arrival, the CEOM expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and cooperative reception it has received from Bahamian stakeholders, and emphasized its commitment to supporting the strengthening of democratic governance across the Caribbean region through independent, transparent election observation.