By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter 
Walker
JAMAICA HAS invited 10 international groups of election observers to monitor the general election expected later this year but they have not yet confirmed their attendance.
With Jamaica being viewed in the international community as a country that has a relatively mature democracy and a regular change of Government, it is not certain at this stage whether the organisations will come.
"I don't know if they will come," Director of Elections Danville Walker told The Gleaner.
With crucial elections set for hot spots such as Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago this year, Jamaica might fall low on the list of priorities of these election groups, Mr. Walker said. The fact that a local election date has not yet been fixed is another factor that might be responsible for the lack of commitment from the groups.
"The fact that we don't have a date to advise them of is another variable that we'll have to manage," the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) boss added.
Late last year, the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), which is the body that shapes election policy, wrote to the organisations following calls for international observers.
Those invited to monitor the next election are the Commonwealth Secretariat, European Commission, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and CAPEL, Carter Centre, Organisation of American States, National Democratic Union, International IDEA, International Federation of Electoral Systems, United Nations - Electoral Affairs Division and the CARICOM Secretariat.
In its release announcing the move, the EAC said it took into consideration the guidelines that have been drawn up by the election observer organisations "that recommend adequate lead time prior to the calling of elections so that not only election day procedures are observed, but also related matters such as voter registration, the preparation of the voters list and the location and distribution of polling places".
"The main reason given by international organisations for having adequate lead time prior to the holding of elections is that of avoiding giving legitimacy to a flawed electoral process," the EAC added.
Local and international election observers monitored the last general election in 1997. They included the Carter Centre in the United States, headed by former President Jimmy Carter, as well as the local election group, Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE).
Both groups concluded that overall the elections were free and fair. However, their conclusions drew scorching comments from local critics who argued that the elections were marred by chaos and intimidation, particularly in so-called 'garrison areas'.
The Representation of the People Act, the principal legislation governing General Elections, was amended in 1997 to allow international and local organisations to observe elections in Jamaica.
