Commonwealth to send observers to oversee South Africa polls

The Commonwealth will send observers to oversee South Africa's national and provincial elections on May 7, Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced today.
Sharma constituted the observer mission following an invitation from the Government of South Africa.
Ghana's former foreign minister and attorney-general, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will lead the observer mission.
Sharma said: "The forthcoming elections are a significant milestone for South Africa. They mark the twentieth anniversary of the country's first democratic elections, and are the first elections after the passing of former President Nelson Mandela."
The mission will observe the election process and determine whether the polls have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which the country has committed itself.

Where appropriate, it will make recommendations to the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa for further improvement, said a statement issued by Commonwealth Secretariat.
Nishana Jayawickrama, Head of Section in the Commonwealth Secretariat's Political Affairs Division, will lead a three-person Secretariat team that will support the work of the observers.