GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj heads CARICOM’s mission for St Vincent elections

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has deployed a 10-member Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to monitor the General Elections in St Vincent and the Grenadines, scheduled for November 27, 2025.
The mission was fielded following an invitation from the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines in a letter dated October 2, 2025. Observers will be in the country from November 20 to 29.
The CEOM includes senior electoral officials from seven CARICOM Member States, supported by three staff members from the CARICOM Secretariat who will handle administrative and logistical functions. The mission is led by Chief of Mission Sase Gunraj, Commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Other members of the delegation are Clovis St Romain, Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission; Justice Arthur Eugene Holder, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Barbados; Anthea Joseph, Chief Elections Officer, Dominica; Karina Nicola Thomas, Systems Administrator, Grenada Parliamentary Elections Office; Dorinnie Irma, Independent Electoral Council, Suriname; and Gillian Macintyre, Elections and Boundaries Commission, Trinidad and Tobago. CARICOM Secretariat support staff comprise Shae-Alicia Lewis, Programme Manager; Irvin Brown, Project Officer; and Serojnie Seetaram, Senior Secretary.
In a statement on Friday, Caricom said that the Core Group, including the Chief of Mission and Secretariat staff, arrived on November 20, with the remaining observers expected by November 23.
Since their arrival, the CEOM has met with representatives of the New Democratic Party, the National Liberation Movement, the St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union, the Voice of the Disabled, and members of the media.
In the days ahead, the team will meet Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, Supervisor of Elections Dora James, Commissioner of Police Enville Williams, and other political and civil society stakeholders. These consultations aim to provide insight into the pre-election environment and assess preparations for the polls.
On Election Day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, closing procedures, the counting of ballots, and the declaration of results. The mission will also observe the immediate post-election period.
A preliminary statement outlining the mission’s initial assessment will be released after Election Day and ahead of the team’s departure on November 29. A final comprehensive report will later be submitted to CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett and made public.