Uhuru ally, blogger Pauline Njoroge, tapped to observe elections in Bangladesh
Ms Pauline Njoroge, a renowned blogger and digital media specialist turned Jubilee Party official as a Deputy National Organizing Secretary, is set to be an election observer in Bangladesh. The Asian nation is set to hold its elections on January 7, 2024.
In an announcement by her close ally, political blogger Wahome Thuku, Ms Njoroge left Kenya on January 2, 2024, for the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, to join nine other members of the election observer team that is being led by Jamaica’s former Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
“The team was picked by Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, on request by Bangladesh Election Commission. The Commonwealth secretariat picks observers for elections in its member states, from among distinguished persons in their various fields,” further revealed Mr Wahome.
The full team of the Commonwealth Expert Team includes Mr Golding, Ms Njoroge, Cameroon’s former chairman of elections, Dr Samule Azu’u Fonkam, Indian Mr Sabyasachi Banerjee, an advocate and special public prosecutor in the Calcutta High Court and Maldives’ former deputy foreign minister Mr Jeffery Salim Waheed.
Others are Nigeria’s former chairman of the Independent National Electric Commission, Professor Attahiry Jega, Papua New Guinea’s media specialist, Ms Hennah Joku, Sri Lankan Professor of law and Member of Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka Professor Dinesha Samararatne, Trinidad and Tobago’s gender and human rights advocate, Ms Terry Dale Ince and United Kingdom’s Mr Mark Stephens, a member of Commonwealth Lawyers Association.
Approximately 119 million Bangladeshi voters are set to head to the polls to elect 300 members of Parliament, who will then elect the leader of the country,” added Mr Wahome.
“In Bangladesh, the Commonwealth Expert Team will meet various groups such as political parties, the police, and civil societies, among others, ahead of the polls.
According to The Commonwealth’s official website, the Declaration of Principles on International Election Observation requires observers to strengthen electoral democracy and the political rights of Commonwealth citizens. As such, an observer group must consider and ensure the inclusivity of voter registration, freedom of candidate nominations, freedom of the campaign, balance and tone of media coverage and participation rights for women, youth, minorities and persons with disabilities.
Other factors to ensure are neutrality of officials, integrity of voting and procedures: rights of voters to cast a secret ballot, no incidences of violence and intimidation, integrity of the vote count and results tabulation.
Ms Njoroge follows in the footsteps of former president Uhuru Kenyatta, who recently observed elections in Nigeria. He led an African Union team to the West African nation in February 2023 to observe the distribution of electoral material, final campaigns, voter tallying and security around elections.